Never thought I'd say this, but...

The conversation between the friends was easy and joking—at least, it was at first. When Artorias asked what was on his mind and Ezra immediately began to hesitate in his response, Art knew what was coming next. A pit sank in his stomach even before his friend started to speak, and when he finally did, the man’s face visibly sank, his smile slowly slipping from his expression while he listened to Ezra do his best to awkwardly stumble through his explanation. Though it broke his heart to think of his best friend leaving the pack, he could understand why he was wanting to leave. He couldn’t think of a single thing he wouldn’t do for Briar, and knowing how madly in love with Syanna his dappled friend was, he could not begrudge him for wanting to make his partner happy. Still, Ezra had been born into the Hallows along with him and his litter, they had grown up together, their entire lives had been built together here. Now he was losing that. Deep down, Artorias prayed that Ezra would someday come back home. He would miss his friend and Councilor dearly.

Once Ezra had finished making his appeal, Artorias turned his gaze down to his paws and released a heavy sigh. He really, really didn’t want to let Ezra go… but what kind of friend would he be if he withheld his best friend’s freedom and happiness? "Losing my Councilor and a physician in one fell swoop… You really don’t like making things easy for me, do you?" he poked fun at the Adravendi wolf at his side, a rueful smirk touching his lips. Amber eyes were sad, but understanding as the Aegis gave a slow nod of his head. "Just promise me you will actually come back one day. I don't think I could handle saying goodbye to my best friend forever right now." Raising a large sapphire paw, Artorias clapped down on Ezra's shoulder and pulled his fellow dire brute into a fraternal embrace. He just prayed that by the grace of the gods that this wasn't the last time he'd ever get the chance to do so. When they separated, Artorias gave the command, "You and Syanna are free to leave whenever you're both ready. Just know there will always be a place for you back home when you're ready to return."

"Artorias" | "Carpathian"