little gardener

Ever since the birth of his niece and nephews, Artorias had felt some of that spark of fatherhood revitalize within his soul. With all of his own children now in their adult years, it had been some time since he'd been around newborn puppies, and it was reminding him why he loved being a parent so much. He was determined to be an involved and fun uncle to them, especially in the aftermath of their father's passing, and while he would never seek to act as their father, he hoped that maybe he could help serve as a positive male influence in their lives. Titus had already taken a shine to him and the bladesmithing he did, but the one that intrigued Artorias the most was the tiny Spriggan. The only girl of the litter had grown moss and a variety of mushrooms from her fur and flesh, immediately worrying the Lord of Cinder that they were seeing a resurgence of the Long Night illness, but after thorough examinations from Gwynevere and Syanna to assure him that wasn't the case, he could calm his nerves and simply enjoy having pups around the Hallows again.

Walking through the halls of Hearthstone, Artorias passed through the foyer and spied the front doors open to the gardens where a light drizzle of rain was pattering over the courtyard. Ordinarily, he simply would have carried on his way, but when he peeked through the open doors and spotted the familiar moss-covered white pup out on the terrace amongst the rest of the plants, Art paused mid-stride and changed his direction. He stepped out into the cool misting rain to join his niece, approaching sweet little Spriggan with his claws clicking softly with each step. "Hey little flower. Whatcha doing?" he greeted the girl with a warm smile, coming to lie down on his belly on the cool damp stones beside Spriggan. She was such a small thing, barely bigger than his giant forepaw. The difference in their size was almost comical as he lay beside her, the misting rain sparkling on their coats.

"Artorias" | "Carpathian"