What Peculiar Neighbors we Have

The more the father and daughter talked, the deeper their conversation seemed to grow. Artorias had expected a degree of sophistication and maturity beyond her age from Talyssa, which was why he did not mind having these types of talk with his inquisitive pup. She craved to know how the world worked, hungered for knowledge well beyond the scope of her years. He would sate her desire to learn as much as he could, sharing with her the wisdom he had accumulated over the years—to a measured degree, of course. There were some topics of conversation that a young girl like herself didn't need to be exposed to yet. More than anything, Artorias wanted to prepare his children to face the world with fearless confidence and courage and have the faith that they would become good wolves, continuing the Carpathian legacy of bringing light into a world filled with darkness. If he could preserve Taly's innocence for just that much longer, he would do his best to do so.

Talyssa asked the astute question of how you could tell someone's intentions. Artorias drew in a deep breath and released it in a heavy sigh, his fire-toned eyes growing a touch darker. "Sometimes you can't," he admitted to her. It wasn't a great answer, but it was the true answer. "Some wolves are very good at hiding their true intentions. All we can do is use our intuition and instincts to decide for ourselves. We can rely on those natural alarms inside ourselves to alert us when something or someone is wrong. If somebody says or does something that makes you feel uncomfortable, makes your fur stand on end from the way they act or speak or behave, that's your instincts telling you they likely mean you harm." Hopefully, Talyssa would know exactly what he was talking about. Flashing memories of watching her walk away from the blood-soaked boy on the beach came to his mind. He hoped that her instincts had been screaming at her then to get out of that situation before things turned nasty.

Her next question was about Hattori, and it made Artorias pause to ponder for a moment. He did not know Hattori very well admittedly, but he did not suspect the stoic wolf would take much offense to someone asking him a simple question. "No, I imagine he would likely answer you as evenly as if you had asked him how the weather was. Hattori has never struck me as the kind to ever let emotions get the best of him. I also think you might be the only wolf who's ever asked him for his side." Look at Taly go, being the diplomat to the world. His child's innocence and ability to see the good in all things often inspired the sometimes dour Artorias—but it did also worry him for his daughter's safety in the world. There were many who would take advantage of such innocence and prey on wolves as kind and gentle as her.

As if reading his mind, the tawny pup brought up the greatest concern at the forefront of her father's mind: the stranger on the beach. Artorias' face grew grievous, his eyes darkening some as Talyssa began to explain everything to him. He let his daughter talk, waiting until she finished before he responded simply with, "I know." Artorias sat up a little straighter, fixing Lyssa with a serious look. "I saw the end of your interaction. Corbin filled me in on the rest. On what that boy did, how he behaved towards you..." How he looked at you... The thought wasn't said aloud. That was not a conversation that needed to happen today. Not yet, at least. "He is the reason I'm talking to you about all of this, Taly. He is exactly the kind of wolf who is diametrically opposed to us. Everything he did was entirely inappropriate. Killing for sport and pleasure is not our natural way. Being cruel and deriving joy from others' pain and misery is not what we believe in. He may not have cared. He likely didn't. And you can't change or fix wolves like that."

Artorias tilted his head a little as he considered Talyssa's experience. Maybe she knew more than she was letting on about her intuition. "When you were speaking to him, listening to him, did you feel an anxiousness inside you that you couldn't explain? A feeling like something was off or wrong, but you couldn't put your paw on it? Those are the instincts and intuitions telling you that you might be in danger. That the wolf you're with might not have good intentions for you. Sometimes they are subtle, and sometimes they are obvious. Slaughtering a fox and desecrating its remains for no reason beyond joy tells you a lot about that boy, and about who he is and what he believes in." Artorias raised a paw and gestured towards Talyssa. "Those are the kind of disagreements we cannot overcome and should never accept. They are an abomination to all that we believe in and all that our family and pack stands for." Shifting to slide closer to his pup, Artorias went to gingerly lay one of his larger paws over top of Taly's, a pleading and concerned look in his fire opal eyes. "You are so smart, Lyssa. I love you so much and I trust you to make good and just choices in your life. But promise me that if you ever end up in a situation that makes you feel uncomfortable, uneasy, or unsafe that you will get yourself out of it as quickly as you can. If you're in danger, call for me, and no matter where you are, I will come to you and I will protect you. I don't ever want you to feel embarrassed to turn to me and your mother for help." Artorias knew the gravity of this conversation would likely be lost on a pup Talyssa's age, and that she probably wouldn't come to appreciate her father's support and aid until she was older, but he needed her to know she could always turn to him for anything.

"Artorias Carpathius"