What is a legacy

With a grunt and a groan, Artorias’ body collided with Briar’s one last time before he collapsed to the bed beside her, a softened thump as his body hit the plush mattress. A pleased sigh escaped the brute’s mouth as he relaxed into the tangled mess of sheets with his wife, breathless and satisfied with a big dopey grin on his face. His forelegs opened to receive Briar into his embrace and snuggle her close in their post-coital bliss, basking in the warm floaty afterglow with her. The alpha couple's bedchambers were quiet and still now in the aftermath of their lovemaking, only the soft crackle of the dying fire in the hearth keeping it from being totally silent. Artorias nuzzled his cheek against Briar's forehead, careful to avoid her antlers while he buried his nose in her scruff, breathing in her scent while they both came down from their high. His paws roamed absentmindedly across Briar's back, claws delicately combing through her soft fur while he lost himself in thoughts that had filled his head frequently over the recent weeks—thoughts he knew he couldn’t keep putting aside forever.

The rise and fall of packs around them... The deaths of their closest allies... The threats that loomed outside their walls... The future of their family and the Hallows...

Their legacy...

As the pair of lovers began to catch their breaths, Artorias craned his neck to plant an affectionate lick over Briar’s forehead before letting his head fall back onto the pillows to stare up at the ceiling. "Briar…? Could I have your opinion on a… delicate but serious matter…?" he asked after some time in their relaxing interlude, breaking the stillness with his low, hushed tones, barely speaking above a husky whisper in their peaceful pillow talk. He lifted his head from the pillows a bit to peer down at where Briar was resting on his chest, his eyes seeking the deep turquoise of his wife’s as he sought her guidance and support. She had always been his voice of reason that helped keep him grounded when the worries of life got the better of him. He needed her now more than ever.

"Artorias & Briar" | "Carpathian"