Passing by

As they walked, Artorias took in the lands around him with intrigue. He had never been to the Soul Sand Cove before, but in many ways it reminded him of the Obsidian Shore in southern Boreas. Black sand seemed to be a pretty common occurrence around the continent. He briefly wondered what made it so, especially when it seemed to pop up almost at random around the land. Taking a seat on his haunches beside the Warlord when they stopped, keen amber eyes shifted to survey over the expansive western sea. It was almost hard to believe that this was the same sea that his bedroom window looked out over, especially with the differences in climates between the Hallows and the Armada. But Art had learned long ago that the world was a strange and often magical place; questioning it rarely made sense, and that was part of its charm and wonder.

"I'm sure your first litter probably did the same to you," replied the Aegis with a chuckle. He tried to picture a much younger Sirius as father to a pack of newborn Fatalises—Mortis, Azure, Indigo, and Aslatiel. Did they cause Seer as much stress and worry as his five were giving to him? The thought brought a bit of a cheeky smirk to Art's lips as he tried to imagine the Warlord chasing down four rambunctious puppy jelly beans with the same lack of experience he had. Sirius relayed the state of his own children, mentioning the difficulties they had faced. It made Artorias sad to hear that the younglings suffered so much because of what they had endured. The pain of that loss broke his heart for them and reminded him of Resin. He had at least been a fresh yearling when she died; Art could only imagine how traumatic his mother's death would have been if he'd been a younger pup at the time.

"They've suffered a terrible loss. You all have. I'd be more worried and surprised if they didn't show any wounds from that kind of trauma." Artorias turned softened eyes to his father-in-law. Sometimes he thought it would feel odd or out of place for him to act as such a support line for a wolf twice his age, but his relationship with Sirius had never felt odd or uncomfortable. He was the Aegis after all, and it was his role to protect and support all of his wolves, no matter how near or far they were. Though Seer was known for his possessive mentality and "mine" attitude, the old dire wolf was very much one of Artorias' wolves too. "It will take time, but they will heal. They're young, they have a lot to learn and a ways to grow. But if there's one thing my five have taught me, it's that puppies are bouncy, resilient little things. And most importantly, they still have you."

Would things be tougher for Sirius and his youngest? Undoubtedly yes. But they had each other, and so long as Seer provided the kind of nurturing and support the young pups needed, Art had little doubt they would recover from this stronger for it—Sirius included. "Have you considered having the pups talk to someone about their fears and worries?" asked Art with a curious glance back to his in-law and peer. "One of my wolves specializes in healing the heart and mind. I could ask her to talk to them if you feel it might do some good. Maybe having a way to release their emotions over what happened could help them cope?"

"Artorias Carpathius"