Action, meet consequence

The only response that Artorias received that tipped him off that Dusk was in the room was the quiet shifting and shuffle of furs and blankets on the massive bed in the middle of the room. In the darkness of the silent room, Dusk was almost perfectly camouflaged, only her fiery amber eyes giving away her location. Artorias spied the silhouette of his little soot ball pup thanks to his augmented vision and immediately felt his heart break. The usually boisterous and vivacious pup was quiet and withdrawn, a sad effigy of her usual self. That was the first thing that clued Artorias in to how guilty she must have felt and that she was grasping the severity of what had happened. Yes, what had happened had been a bad accident, but it still hurt the father to see his daughter so uncharacteristically dour and taciturn.

Breathing a long sigh, Artorias crossed the room over to the unlit grand fireplace at the opposite end of the room from the bed. He loaded a few fresh logs and dried kindling into the hearth then grabbed the flint and steel from the mantle. With a few quick strikes, the fire sparked to life, and after a few moments the flames had devoured the kindling to rise to a level bright enough to illuminate the dark bedroom. Warm firelight cast an orange glow over everything and spread its warmth around, chasing away the dark of night. The sire then turned to face his daughter, carrying himself across the room to hoist his giant form up onto the bed and curl his massive form around his child, offering protection and comfort. No matter how worried or disappointed he would ever be, Artorias' love for his children would never be diminished. Dusk was still his daughter, he still loved her with all his heart, and right now she needed her father's comfort and reassurance more than she needed a scolding.

Once he had settled in around her, Art patted his side with an azure paw, offering an embrace to the little Carpathian if she wanted it. "I saw Thorn a few minutes ago. His ear's been patched up and he's doing well, all things considered," he began, hoping to offer Dusk some peace of mind that her brother would be okay. Briar had told him how afraid Dusk had been that she'd killed him. "I've heard your brother's side of the event. I'd like to hear yours now too. What happened in the Garden today?" There was no sternness or scolding in the dire-sized sire's voice as he inquired into today's events. He simply wanted to give Dusk the chance to tell him her side of the events.

"Artorias" | "Carpathian"