Almost adults

Artorias wasn't left waiting long before he heard the parade of almost adult paws come marching into the Great Hall. He was already smiling as he looked up to greet his family, warm amber eyes dancing over each of his children as Briar herded them in. Thorn, Ciaran, Dusk, Talyssa, Bramble... The proud father gazed upon each of his children, now adolescents and almost fully grown adults. Thorn, Ciaran, and Bramble in particular had grown so tall, easily showing off the dire genes they'd inherited as they rivaled their sire for sheer height! Dusk and Talyssa had both started developing more in line with their mother, elegant and sylphlike. His pups (not really puppies anymore) were all growing into wolves he was so proud to call his children. Talyssa greeted him blissfully in their family tongue, earning her a particularly warm smile from her sire. He loved how she'd taken to their family's culture so emphatically.

"Buna dimineata, draga mea. Totul este mai bine decât în regulă. Este o zi foarte specială!" he replied to his daughter. Next came Dusk, who was practically vibrating with energy, she was so excited! "Good morning, my little soot sprite," he greeted his ebon-furred daughter, using the little tease of a nickname he'd given her since birth while leaning down to grace her brow with a kiss in return. Such a sweet girl she was. Ciaran was his usual taciturn self, but received the same warmth in Artorias' gaze as he greeted his son. The far more enthusiastic Bramble got a chuckle from her sire as she kissed his cheek, and before she could pull away Artorias was leaning over to give her one back right on the end of her snout. "Good morning, my not-so-little princess," he said amidst chuckles. Who would've guessed his youngest, his baby of the litter, would be standing shoulder to shoulder with him at such a height! Last but not least, Thorn got pulled into a quick one-armed hug as he came up to Artorias, the dire wolf nuzzling his son's forehead. "Good morning, my young knight."

With all of the family assembled, it was time for the moment they'd been waiting for—mandatory embarrassment as their father doted on them for their first birthdays, starting with song! "La mulți ani pentru tine, la mulți ani pentru tine! La mulți ani Thorn, Ciaran, Dusk, Talyssa, și Bramble! La mulți ani pentru tine!" Artorias sang for his children while in the rafters overhead Corbin and Eira cawed and cheered for the yearlings. A huge smile adorned Artorias' face while he cherished in this once in a lifetime moment with his family. "Today, my children, you are all officially yearlings! I cannot begin to tell you how proud I am of you all. You've each only just begun your life's journey, but already you are all growing into wolves any parent would be elated to call their own. Your mother and I love you all so, so much, and we hope you know just how important and special each of you is." Still smiling so wide it hurt his cheeks, Artorias gestured to the wrapped gifts on the table before him. "These are for you. Gifts to keep with you for your lifetimes. May they always remind you of who you are and how loved you are."

First up was Talyssa. Artorias slid over the small wrapped box toward his daughter. When it was unwrapped, a pristine mahogany box would be revealed. Inside the velvet-lined box lay a flawless necklace: a thin feminine chain with a pendant of the Hallows' flames hanging from the end. The chain and pendant were made of Carpathian steel and glistened in the morning light, as did the three small ovular gemstones that hung inside the flame pendant. The gems represented Talyssa and her parents—a faceted amber for Artorias, a perfectly smooth teal apatite for Briar, and a clear aquamarine for Talyssa herself, each stone the color of their respective wolf's eyes. "A little piece of home and family to keep with you always," Artorias explained, fixing Taly with a loving smile. He lifted the necklace in his paws, holding the chain open to slip it over Taly's head if she wished so she could wear it right away. "Indiferent ce s-ar întâmpla, mama ta și cu mine vom fi mereu alături de tine, Taly."

Next came Dusk. Artorias met the matching eyes of his daughter with a roguish smirk on his lips as he gestured her up to present her with her gift. Hers was also box-shaped, but notably the largest box on the table. Beneath the wrapping was another polished mahogany box, but inside was something starkly less girly. Inside the velvet-lined box lay a set of razor sharp blades, all shaped like thin ovular leaves with deadly edges. The blades were attached to chains that connected to a metal cuff, forming an elegant metal bladed whip. The cuff itself was studded with brilliant fire opals that shone in the light. Like Talyssa's gift, this was also made of flawless Carpathian steel, the metal shimmering in the light like ripples on water. For Dusk, this was more than just a gift to fit into her interests. This was a profound statement of trust from her parents. This was Artorias' way of showing he still supported his daughter's passion and interests in armed combat, despite what had happened. "It's no wire from the gardens, but I think it'll suffice," teased Artorias as he presented Dusk with her gift. "Just promise me you'll be careful. I'd like all five of you to remain in one piece."

Up next was Ciaran. Artorias looked to his tall son with a swell of pride in his chest as he gestured Kea over to one of the presents that was very clearly a sword. He knew how much time and dedication his boys had put into learning the way of the blade with him and he was so proud of the both of them. They'd worked their tails off, proven their convictions, and now their efforts and commitment would make their dreams come true. Beneath the wrappings, Ciaran would find a short sword stowed in a freshly oiled scabbard, its leather as black as midnight. The pommel of the sword was adorned with a silver wolf's head, and the grip was wrapped in the same matching black leather. The crossguard featured an array of faceted sapphires on both sides, all bearing a rich blue hue and cut to reflect light and gleam from any angle. Artorias gestured for Kea to unsheath his sword and reveal the weapon in all its glory. The blade was made of Carpathian steel, honed and sharpened to perfection, but it had been uniquely forged, tempering the steel to a harder strength and darkening the metal to a blued finish. "Now you're ready to be a true Knight," Artorias said to his son with a delighted smile, pride filling his fiery eyes. "You've earned this, son."

Fourth in line was Bramble. His sweet little princess had been quite the conundrum for him to think up an appropriate present for her, since her interests were so wide and varied. Fortunately, Briar had come up with a brilliant solution, one he was sure Bramble would be delighted by. So as Bramble was gestured up, Artorias slid the wrapped box over to Briar to present to their daughter. After all, she had been the one to come up with the idea and the one to craft it almost entirely by herself. She should be the one to present the gift to their daughter. Once Bramble had opened her gift and Briar had explained it, Art smiled at their child and said, "I hope it's to your liking, Brammy. Your mother was very excited to make this for you."

With only one gift left on the table, Artorias turned to Thorn and presented his son with the massive sword-shaped present. The sword itself was huge; clearly larger than any other blade seen in the Hallows yet! When unwrapped, the blade's navy leather scabbard and grip were the first things revealed, as was the large faceted citrine gemstone set in either side of the crossguard. Given the size of the greatsword, Artorias helped Thorn unsheath the sword for the first time, holding the scabbard while Thorn drew the blade. Like all the gifts, the greatsword was made of flawless Carpathian steel, its distinctive ripple-like effect shimmering in the steel. The length of the massive silver blade was inlaid with darker Carpathian steel, stylized to look like ivy vines were creeping down the length of the blade from grip to tip. It was a large, hefty weapon, but given that Thorn had shown his mettle as his most physically capable child, Artorias had no qualms presenting his son with this one-of-a-kind weapons. "It's a little bigger than the ones we've been training with, but I had a feeling this one would be more your style," Artorias explained with a chuckle and a grin. "It'll take some getting used to, but you have my full confidence in you. That is the only Carpathian steel weapon of its kind. Take care of it and it will take care of you, son."

With all the gifts presented, Artorias clapped his paws together and smiled over his family again. "I hope you all love your gifts! We could never give you enough to show you how much we love you or how much joy you've all brought your mother and I, but know that you are our greatest treasures in life." Surely no parents had ever had better children than Artorias and Briar had! His attention turning to Ciaran, Dusk, and Thorn in particular, the Aegis gave the trio a curious look as he glanced over their new weapons. "It's said that all the best legendary weapons have names. Would you like to give yours names?" First impression names were sometimes tricky, but Artorias would be happy to help his children name their weapons if they so desired it. "Also, as you all will be turning to yearlings, your training and duties in the pack will be growing with you. Today, you'll get to choose which ranks you wish to ascend to, and what paths you'd like to walk in the Hallows." Artorias suspected he already knew what at least a couple of his children would pick. "You're also of the age where I think it's time you all got your own personal spaces. So today, we'll be picking out your new bedrooms and start furnishing them however you want!" Not that Artorias didn't love having seven grown wolves sharing one bedroom for sleeping, but he did want to be able to have some alone time with Briar whenever he felt like it instead of waiting for the room to be vacant.

"Carpathius Family"