The Missing Piece

Briar listened curiously as Talyssa made her request–surprising her by asking to hear about the other side of her family, Briar's own family that lived in the Armada. Her expression showed her surprise, but it was a pleasant one. Especially since their move to the northern parts of Boreas, the Fatalis side of her lineage had feel increasingly more detached from her and she knew that her children hadn't had as much interaction with them as she had originally hoped, but it made her happy to see Talyssa's curiosity and her eagerness to learn more about another part of her bloodline. "It does," Briar agreed with a chuckle when her daughter questioned whether or not her request made sense. Knowing someone just by name or face didn't paint a full picture and that was where she hopefully could fill in some gaps.

"Well, the Fatalis family and the Armada pack were founded by your Grandpa Sirius and Grandma Zee almost six years ago," she began, thinking back through the stories and lessons her father had told her as a pup. "Originally, your Grandpa was the guard for the former Ashen Empress when they first came to Boreas, but eventually he and your Grandma created their own pack and began their family too. I have a lot of siblings–some of them I don't think you've gotten the chance to meet yet. Mortis, Azure, Indigo, and Aslatiel from their first litter, Gossamer, Ophelia, Aris, Kotori and myself were the second, and then of course Charlton, Crux, Dread, Stratum, Andromeda, Kyanite, and Vântoase are the youngest." She laughed a bit as the list of names just seemed to go on and on, but eventually she managed to remember and list all fifteen of her siblings. "Something that the Carpathius and Fatalis families have always had in common was how important family is. Our family has always come first and we always do anything for one another."

"In comparison though, the Fatalis family and their pack has a lot more focused on strength, fighting, and war. When Armada was originally founded, their purpose had been to be a fighting force for the Ashen Empire–hence why your Grandfather is known as the Warlord. Learning to fight and being proficient at it was always more of an expectation than a suggestion for us when I was growing up. It's not that we were discouraged from pursuing other passions, but we always had to make time for training. My father has certainly softened a bit over the years and after being a father, but from what I've heard he was quite ruthless in his younger years." She smiled a bit as she added, "It was a... different environment to grow up in than it is for you here."

"Briar Carpathius"