Come so far

Seeing Ciaran's enthusiasm and zeal for getting to practice and spar in live demonstrations of their swordsmanship reminded Artorias of a younger version of himself, when he had been little more than a bright-eyed and determined yearling with nothing more than a wooden sword strapped to his back and a dream. Seeing his children share in that same passion as him sparked a warm love and appreciation for who his pups were turning into as they grew up. He was such an overtly proud father and it showed in how he regarded and interacted with his offspring. With the arena now cleared of debris and the dummy set up as a mock target, the stage was set for the two Carpathians to test one another's mettle. Art gave Kea all the time he needed to get used to the heft of the actual steel sword in his jaws, weightier and stronger than his wooden training sword. It would take some growing accustomed to, but the journey of a thousand miles started with that first step.

Once Ciaran was ready and the rules had been explained, Artorias chuckled as he overheard his noble son's declaration to protect the fair "princess" in his charge. Well, it seemed like his boy would be the same kind of red-blooded male he had been in his youth too! No doubt Kea would be a bit of a heartthrob amongst the new generation of Boreal and Austral nobility. "I hope you have what it takes to keep that promise," he remarked with a playful wink to his boy, beginning a slow circling motion around the perimeter of the arena, like a predator stalking its prey. "Pregateste-te, Ciaran. Vin după prințesa ta!" A sudden shift of Artorias' stance turned his paws from their circling motion in towards his son and the dummy, the dire wolf lunging forward in a blue flash as he aimed to dart past Kea, going straight for the dummy. All the while he kept his eyes laser focused on his son and his sword, watching to see how Kea might intercept him and preparing to block any incoming blows headed his way.

"Artorias" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Eira" | "Argent"