Oh, Father of Mine

Artorias' children were growing up fast—too fast for his liking the father might say. There was nothing but pride in his heart as the Aegis watched his younglings grow into the wolves they were becoming, but a part of him would always long for the days when they were small chubby nuggets that he could pick up and carry around. Now, his sons were becoming strapping young men and his daughters beautiful young women. Never had a father ever been as proud of his children as Artorias was of his own. The Hallows had seen a long stint of peace for some time now, and that afforded the Aegis more time to devote to his kids, helping them with their training, playing with his youngest litter, and just being present for their lives. He had never known his own father, and when he had found out he was going to be a parent himself, he had vowed to always be there for his own pups. That was a vow Artorias had taken seriously every single day since.

It was a lovely late summer day, bordering on the eve of autumn in Auster. The weather was still warm and balmy as the southern continent tended to be, but already the nights were cooling off, the days growing shorter, and the trees starting their transformations into bouquets of gold and fire. Even his beloved wisterias were beginning to lose some of their purple hues in preparation for the colder seasons. Art was taking a stroll through the gardens, admiring the beauty of their home while on his way to meet with Bramble. She had asked him for a one-on-one chat and he had happily acquiesced after handing over care of the puppies to Briar. Striding up the terrace and into Hearthstone was always a grand spectacle, as was walking down the long stone corridors he'd traversed a thousand times over. This was their home. These rooms were familiar and filled with memories, the history of the new generation of Carpathians.

Artorias found his lovely daughter waiting patiently (or at least as patiently as Bramble could be) for him in the Council Chambers, seated beside his seat at the head of the massive stone map table. An amused smile lifted the corners of Artorias' lips as he lingered in the doorway, watching quietly as Bramble ran her paw along the edge of the table, examining its features closely. "Impressive, isn't it?" he said after a moment, stepping into the room to join her as he strode leisurely across the room, fire-toned eyes tracing over the table as he went. "The wolf who made it was the greatest artisan I have ever met. A true master of his craft." Art came to stand with Bramble at the far end of the table, giving her a mirthful smirk. "Ți-ar plăcea să vezi ceva special?"

Moving around to the side of the table, Artorias reached a paw beneath the stone surface and pulled out a long metal tray filled with unlit candles, letting Bramble see all the little secrets behind the scenes that few knew about. The dire brute stepped away to let her inspect the hidden compartment of candles while he moved over to the small brazier in the corner of the room and set a long thin stick into the burning coals, catching the end on fire. He then returned to Bramble's side and proceeded to light each of the candles. Once every candle was alight, Artorias extinguished the stick and pushed the tray back underneath the table. As the candles slid beneath the table, the map carved into the stone began to illuminate with the candlelight seeping through from below, bringing the map to life in a stunning orange glow that showed every terrain and landmark on Boreas and Auster. Artorias smiled as he gazed down at the table in all its splendor, then looked back up to Bramble, giving her some time to admire the table she had been fascinated in since she was a wee pup. "It's beautiful in its own right, but it is even more spectacular when its true magnificence is allowed to be shown." A paradigm for how Artorias saw his own children, and a thinly veiled compliment to his daughter. "What can I do for you, daughter of mine?"

"Artorias" | "Carpathian"