It's a terrible day for rain

One by one, the wolves of the Hallows assembled to pay their final respects and say goodbye to Audra, and one by one Artorias regarded each of them with mournful eyes and a solemn nod. Artorias was careful to mind his children as they joined the congregation, realizing that this was the first time any of them had lost a pack member. His eldest might have remembered bits of losing their grandmother when Zee had passed, but they had all been so little then. For them, this would be their first exposure to death. Art put on a brave face for his daughters, nuzzling Clove's and Ember's foreheads gently as they gave their sympathies. Bramble gave him some sweet words of encouragement and it almost broke free the glowing teal tears that lingered on the edges of Artorias' eyes. "Știu," he replied simply, trying to keep the emotion from shaking his low voice as Dusk came to join his side as well. Strong, he had to be strong for his family.

Offerings were left to Audra, flowers mostly, some tokens of love, and then their special guest arrived. Artorias would normally have greeted Víðarr and Erik with an embrace and a smile, but this was no day for smiles. The viking king laid out an assortment of offerings to Audra on the pyre and spoke with reverence to her in his native tongue. Though he did not know what was said, Artorias knew in his heart that it was what he was feeling himself. Then at last, it was time to bid farewell to Audra. Taking an unsteady breath to get his composure, Artorias lowered his hood and moved to stand at the pyre to give his eulogy, letting the gentle rain pelt his face. "I wish I could be saying anything other than what I have to say today. I wish I didn't have to recount Audra's life like some synopsis to a story ended far too soon. I just hope I do her spirit and memory justice." Artorias took another deep breath and began. "When my sister first brought Audra to the Hallows, she had been this scared, frail girl looking for a family, a home, a path to make a difference. I didn't know it at the time, but when I welcomed her into our pack, I had welcomed in a paragon of good, of kindness and selflessness. Audra was a wolf we could all aspire to be. She lived to better everyone around her. Nothing brought her joy more than caring for others and seeing them flourish. She was a true healer at heart, stopping at nothing to bring out the best in us all. Spending an afternoon with her was a joy, and the Hallows has forever lost some of its warmth and light with her departure."

The Lord of Cinder turned to face the pyre, to face Audra once more, and rested a paw over her own. His throat tightened with emotion, those glowing tears beginning to fill the corners of his eyes again. "Fii în pace, sora mea. Ne vom revedea cândva." Lifting his paw from the pyre, Artorias took the brooch of his cloak, the gold sigil of the Carpathian family, and pulled it off, placing it gently on Audra's chest. She might not have been his blood sister, but she was his sister all the same, and he would forever miss her. Artorias then picked up the torch that stood stuck into the soft earth, the end ablaze and waiting to serve its purpose. He picked up the torch in his jaws, holding it for a beat of hesitation as he looked down at Audra once more—then he placed the torch onto the pyre. Almost immediately the oil-soaked wood began to catch fire, the blaze spreading swiftly despite the gentle rainfall. Artorias watched with somber austerity as Audra was consumed by the flames, the form of her body gradually vanishing behind the fire as she was set free.

The heat hit his face like a sucker punch, and those tears he had fought so hard to hold back fell freely down his face, cutting glowing paths through his dark fur. Artorias' heart ached as he stepped back from the pyre to rejoin his family, watching the flames grow to their apex. As the pyre burned, Artorias lifted his muzzle to the gray heavens and let out a long, mournful howl, singing his heartbroken farewell to Audra's spirit as the sun sank beyond the horizon and twilight began to claim the land. The Twilight Song sung for their departed friend and sister would echo across western Auster, and all of Somnium would hear their call for the pure soul they said goodbye to.

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