I got fire in my soul

Titus' enthusiastic reaction when Artorias cleaved through the dummy's legs brought a smile to the older wolf's lips. The curiosity and fascination of a puppy was something to be marveled, and it reminded him very much of himself when he had been the boy's age. Always curious about the weapons and blades of the adults, eager for the day he would get to have one of his own. While the pair of wolves inspected the blade, Titus pointed out a spot and asked if it was a crack or a scratch. Turning the blade sideways so they could inspect it across the metal, Artorias noted it was little more than a small cosmetic scratch along the edge of the blade. "Scratches are fine, and many can be buffed out with whetstones when you sharpen and hone a blade over time. Cracks are bad though. A crack is a weak spot in your steel, and a weak spot will break eventually. The last thing you want is for your sword to break in the middle of battle."

Bringing a paw up to the blade, Art rested a claw on the flat side of the blade and slowly ran it back and forth over the scratch. "The way we test if a mark is a scratch or a crack is to run a claw over it. A scratch you won't feel, but a crack will catch on your claw. Then we know we have a problem." Artorias moved his paw away to allow Titus to do the same thing and feel over the scratch with his claw. "You feel how it's still smooth metal? It's not catching your claw, so we know it's just a cosmetic scratch. These happen all the time from use." Picking the sword up and setting it down on the workbench, Artorias began to wipe the blade down with a rag to buff it out and make the steel shine. "Now we just clean it up and this sword is done!"

As he polished the sword, Artorias heard Titus ask a peculiar question. Could swords be made small and put on their claws? Art took a breath as he pondered over the thought. "That would be possible to do. I know wolves that have metal caps they wear over their fangs for battle to make their bites more dangerous and deadly. I suppose the same technique could be made for claws. Like razor claw caps." As for the why part of the question, well, that was a more nuanced answer. "Everyone's combat style is different, Titus. There is no right or wrong way, just personal preference. You make good use of your claws, like many others do. Others prefer their jaws and fangs. Others still have other mutations they use, like spikes and quills. But me...?" Artorias picked up the sword in his jaws again and swung it through the air, pointing it off at an imaginary enemy. "I like the reach a sword has. I can strike with lethal force farther away and keep my opponents back while still doing damage. I know that if they want to get to me, they have to clear my sword first." Once more he set the sword down on the table, looking down at Titus and hoping he had answered the lad's question satisfactorily. "Does that make sense, Titus?"

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian"