With time comes change

The young Mendacium woman was visibly pleased by his recognition and confirmed that he had remembered her accurately. That brightened Artorias' already friendly expression, his tail wagging a little behind him. She introduced herself as Avacyn and Artorias made sure to commit the name to memory now that they had been properly introduced. "A pleasure, Avacyn. I'm Artorias Carpathius," he replied, offering his full name in return to her addressing him by his rank. Clearly she had been well educated on the packs and alphas of the lands, most likely by Manea herself. The news Avacyn brought with her both surprised and concerned Artorias a bit. His expression, beginning as delighted, took a momentary shift into a furrow of worry. "Well congratulations, Matriarch Avacyn! I hope your parents are both still doing well though?" he asked, subtly probing to see if Manea had abdicated her reign of Elysium over to Avacyn or if Avacyn had been appointed alpha in the wake of some tragedy befalling Manea. Artorias was quite fond of Manea and Alastor and hoped nothing bad had happened to either of them.

Once Avacyn had confirmed that her parents were indeed alive and well and Artorias could breathe easy, the new Matriarch continued to explain the purpose for her visit to the southern continent. Artorias knew all too well the mandated diplomacy treks that came in the wake of assuming power, having walked them himself when he was appointed Warden. A knowing smile crossed the Aegis' lips while he listened, letting Avacyn speak while finding a good bit of humor in the stark differences between her and her mother's approaches as alphas. When Ava had said her piece, Artorias simply beckoned with a wave of his paw for Avacyn to cross the border and join him in Hallowed territory. "Come, let's walk and talk. I find standing around on the border having these kinds of chats kinda awkward for us both."

Leading the way on a leisurely stroll around the edges of the plains so Avacyn could really see all of the Hallows for herself, Artorias began to satisfy her curiosities surrounding their alliance and pack relations. "In the Hallows, every wolf is part of our family. We treat our friends and allies the same way," he explained to Ava, giving her a reassuring smile. "I appreciate you coming to inform me of Elysium's changes in person, but have no fear that this changes anything between us. Your parents are very close to me and my Queen, and they've laid strong groundwork for you to begin your reign. Elysium is our ally and a part of our family, and unless you decide to become a power-hungry tyrant with a lust for war, I don't foresee that ending." After a pause, Art leaned a little closer to Ava and chuckled, "That was a joke, please don't think I'm being serious." He was trying to lighten the mood a bit and help Avacyn be at ease, since she looked like she was keeping herself so closely measured. On his best days, the Aegis still harbored a bit of puppy-like childishness that kept him from being overly stern and austere.

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