What Peculiar Neighbors we Have

For as worried as Artorias was over the safety of his young daughter, Talyssa did a good job reassuring him that she had learned something from this lesson. His tawny pup promised him that she would be safe, and that she would never make an unwise decision on purpose. Artorias smiled, but there was a dark and deathly seriousness behind his eyes as he replied, "I know you wouldn't, Taly. It is not you I don't trust. You always have your father's full faith in you." No, quite the contrary, in fact. Artorias trusted his daughter to make smart and safe choices. It was the rest of the world that he put little faith in. The Aegis had seen so much darkness and destruction in his short lifetime, grotesque and perverted means of wickedness and ruin that made his initial trust a difficult thing for many to attain. Artorias lived his life with a healthy dose of suspicion for the motives of all that he didn't know. Only once he got to know an individual and learn them on a personal level did the Carpathian put his trust in them. It was all he could do to safeguard his family and protect himself.

Alleviating the mood from its dour fog, Talyssa's enthusiasm as he permitted her to seek out these sorts of talks whenever she wished brought a genuine smile and a peel of laughter from her father. His own mothers had always encouraged him and his siblings to pursue the passions of their hearts and he had always vowed to do the same for his own children. Seeing the sheer excitement and joy on their precious, innocent faces... that alone was reward in of itself! She tried to reply to his affections in their language as well, and though it lacked the fluidity of someone fluent or well versed in Carpathian, she was doing incredibly well for her age! Artorias smiled lovingly to his pup and when she confirmed she had no further things she wished to discuss, Art leaned closer and placed a tender lick to his daughter's forehead. "I'm glad we had this talk, Lyssa. You're going to be a force of benevolence in this world, and I am so proud to have you as my daughter. Now hurry off to bed. It's getting late, and your mother will have my hide if I keep you up too late." Another deep chuckle from the sire as he bid his child off to sleep. "Vise dulci, dragoste mică. I will be down soon to join you and your siblings." Soon the pups would be old enough for their own rooms, but for now they all shared the expansive alpha's quarters. All the better for Artorias to make sure his children remained safe and sound.

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian"