She'd been given the go ahead! Bowen had begged and pleaded Resin to let her go see some more of the world. Eventually her mother had relented, agreeing to let Bowen go to the neighboring woods as long as she took Artorias with her. The jackals would be going as well, both of whom were larger than Bowen and were both battle ready. They would provide ample protection against whatever might be lurking there. Resin saw the area as safe, considering it was right between the Hallows, the Armada and Ashen. With a pep in her step, the caramel cream girl tore across the territory in search of her brother. No doubt he would be fighting or something like that, but they were allowed out! "TORIAS!" she bellowed in her small, sweet vocals. The excitement was rich in her voice and it would be just as evident in her viridian gaze. They were going on an adventure! "Bowen"

Since his conversation with Resin about taking the path of the warrior, Artorias had spent every waking moment training his mind and body, sharpening his skills like a whetstone to a blade. He had made a commitment—a lifelong commitment—and he intended to honor that vow every day of his life. At the moment, the boy had been near one of the pools at the Falls, drinking from the cool water when a familiar lyrical voice called out his name like a bell. Small head popping up from the water, Artorias glanced around over his shoulder to try and spot his sister. Where was she... oh, there she was! He spotted the cream and caramel-coated girl all but sprinted and bouncing through the trees, undoubtedly on the lookout for him. He cocked his head quizzically and trotted over to her with brisk steps, calling out, "BO!" Once he'd caught her attention, he hurried to close the gap between them.

"Hey, Bo! What's going on?" he asked, noting the unabashed enthusiasm just barely contained in his smaller sister's face. She was clearly over the moon about something, and it made him curious. Was something fun happening? Movement just behind her caught his attention, and amber eyes raised from her viridian orbs to spot Mom's two jackals flanking her on either side. Artorias leered at the long-legged dog-things with reservation. He didn't like Mom's pets very much; they looked like someone had tried to make a wolf, but stretched the proportions out in all the wrong ways, and they honestly kind of freaked him out. "What're the scavengers doing here?" he questioned, his voice a low murmur to try and keep them from hearing him while he eyed them warily.

"Speech" | Thoughts

One big happy family

Artorias has two ravens named Corbin and Eira and a fox named Argent. Assume they are within calling distance at all times.
As his mate, Briar may enter Artorias' threads unless marked Private.
____________________

"Bowen" Yelling for Artorias had worked. Her big, blue and black brother bounded towards her soon after she called for him. Excitement shone in her bright green eyes as she pranced up to him. She didn't stop there either. Happiness in her step, she bounced a circle around him, even as he asked her what she was doing. "Ohhhh, please tell me that you aren't too busy training to spend time with me, Torias. It's very important that you come!" When Art asked about the jackals, Bo shot a look over her shoulder at the patiently waiting pair. Everyone gave them slack, but Bowen rather liked them. They were quiet. They were sneaky. They were very helpful. "He and She have to come with us. It was in the rules." Turning her attention back to her sibling, she looked up at him. "Mom said that we can go outside of the Hallows." Her body gave a little shake of excitement. Imagine what treasures could be out there?! Caramel ears tucked against her skull for a moment. "He and She have to come and you have to come too." The girl looked at her brother through heavy lashes. "If you don't come to 'protec' me, I can't go." Her gaze begged and she pleaded with him. "Please, please, pleeeeeeeease!"

His little sister's excitement was as palpable as it was infectious. Watching the smaller ball of fluff bounce around him in an energetic circle was enough to draw a slow-growing smile from Artorias. Bowen was so sweet and happy, it was impossible to not be happy as well in her presence. She prayed that he wasn't too busy training to spend time with her, stressing the importance of needing him. That made Artorias feel a little guilty for not paying enough attention to his siblings. Since he had vowed to walk the warrior's path with Resin, he had thrown himself wholeheartedly into his lessons, doing as their mother had instructed and following his regiment to the letter. However, such a commitment left little time for anything else, and Artorias regretted making his siblings feel like he was neglecting them. He'd have to be more conscious about maintaining relationships with all of them. Being the greatest warrior ever meant little if he ended up alone with no one to share his triumphs and sacrifices with. Family always came first.

The exact reason why Bowen liked the two jackals was exactly why Artorias did not. They were sneaky and shifty, and he didn't find them trustworthy. But if Mom kept them around, then they couldn't be all bad. After all, Mom was the best judge of character—how else would she have gotten to be an alpha? Cocking a curious brow when Bowen explained why the jackals were there, Artorias' mouth dropped open in shock. They were being given permission to go outside the Hallows? Without an adult?! Okay, technically they'd have the scavengers... but without a parent or adult wolf! Multi-hued tail began to fan with the same excitement his sister was quivering with. Oh boy, what an amazing opportunity! He and Bowen were going on an adventure on their own! Maybe she'd get to find some shiny new treasures and he'd get to explore somewhere new!

"Mom said I have to come protect you?" he repeated, tail wagging faster at the notion. If Mom was telling him to go protect her, then it meant one of two things: she trusted him to look after his little sister, and this would be a good test of how his training was going. It also helped that Bowen was fixing him with the biggest, saddest verdant puppy eyes while she begged him to go with her. Artorias flashed a proud, eager grin that showed off all of his puppy teeth and nodded his head vigorously. "Of course I'll go with you, Bo! I'm always ready for an adventure!" He briefly debated whether he should pack a stick with him for their protection, just in case, but Mom had been teaching him to get used to fighting with his teeth and claws before moving on to weapons. Plus they always had the jackals to be meat shields if anything bothered them. "Where are we gonna go explore?"

"Speech" | Thoughts

One big happy family

Artorias has two ravens named Corbin and Eira and a fox named Argent. Assume they are within calling distance at all times.
As his mate, Briar may enter Artorias' threads unless marked Private.
____________________

"Bowen" Artorias was just as excited as she was at the prospect of leaving the territory. They were going outside the boundaries into new and exciting spaces. For her, anyway. She didn't know if he'd ever been there but it didn't matter. If he didn't go again, then she couldn't go either. In time he agreed to take her and the tiny girl launched herself at her larger brother and gave him a squeeze and a few licks to the face. "Oh, thank you!" She stepped back, her entire body vibrating with the wagging of her tail. She simply couldn't keep still. "We're going to the Weeping Woods, mom said. She also said that you would keep me safe." Mom hadn't said what he would keep her safe from, but she also didn't ask. Her excitement had been too great. She was getting to explore! "So let's go! He and She know the way there." Bowen turned to the pair of jackals and nodded. One nodded in return before they both padded past the pups and began an easy lope. The pups would have no trouble following. As they moved out of Hallows land and into unknown space, Bowen's eyes were wide with wonder. She took in every change of tree type, every shifting in the length of grass, every little plant that was different from the ones that she was used to. It was all so magical. The minuscule girl turned her dragon green eyes to her blue brother and smiled sweetly. "Thanks, Torias." She meant it from the bottom of her little caramel heart.

Artorias knew that his little sister was a bundle of excited energy, but even he hadn't been prepared for the sudden pouncing hug from the smaller russet-furred girl. The boy gave a soft "oof" from the impact, but caught his footing, smiling and giggling as he embraced Bo and playfully tossed his head to and fro while she covered his face in appreciative licks. Bowen was so genuine with her emotions, something Artorias had never been very good at, his personality more introverted and carefully measured. He was the big brother, after all; he had to be the role model for his siblings. "Okay, okay, you're welcome, Bo," replied Art, still giggling as he wiped her slobber off of his face. When she told him where they were going, the black and blue pup's ears perked up. He had been to the Weeping Woods before, but he wasn't going to tell her that. Why squash her enthusiasm? Besides, the only time he'd been was when he'd snuck out with Rudy, and even then he hadn't been there very long. This time, he'd be able to really get a good look at the area.

"All right, let's go!" Artorias' voice was just as eager. He was still fairly proud of himself to know that Mom had asked Bo to take him specifically to protect her. This was going to be his first real test of his abilities to look out for someone else, and if he wanted to be a knight—a protector of the innocent—he was going to be doing a lot of that. In his head, he visualized himself being the guard to some noble alpha, or royal princess. Bo definitely was the princess of their litter after all, so that wasn't too hard to picture. He would do his best and make Resin proud of him! Bounding off after Bowen, Artorias brought up the rear, following at Bo's side with just a slight step behind her to keep his eyes out behind them. The jackals had the lead, so if anything came from the front, they'd know immediately.

As soon as they passed over the borders, Art's eyes were everywhere. He was both looking for any other living things around them and also studying their new surroundings. There were the weird gangly trees again coming closer! They still confused the boy; trees were supposed to be tall and strong, but these ones looked so floppy! They would not make for good whacking sticks. While he stared at his surroundings with awe, his amber eyes caught the rich green of his sister's, meeting her smile with one of his own. Artorias loved his sister—he loved all of his siblings. But there was something special about Bowen and Gwynevere in particular. They were the sweet ones; the gentle treasures that needed to be protected. They were the constant reminder of what he was training for. Her kind words made Art blush and his ears fall bashfully to his head, replying with a simple yet sincere, "Anytime, Bo. You can always count on your brother to be there for you!" He'd have to make sure to keep his eyes out for any shiny treasures he could find for her to take home. Another memento for her dragon's hoard.

"Was there anything special you were looking for out here?" he asked, looking through the bending trees to the familiar stream that ran between them. "Like shiny rocks or something?"

"Speech" | Thoughts

One big happy family

Artorias has two ravens named Corbin and Eira and a fox named Argent. Assume they are within calling distance at all times.
As his mate, Briar may enter Artorias' threads unless marked Private.
____________________

"Bowen" The tiny girl bounced along, beaming at her brother when he promised that she could always rely on him. She knew this, of course. She trusted all of her siblings completely. In her mind, there was no way that they would ever let her down. They were a family, and a good family at that. Family was important and they would always be there for one another. Perhaps these were the delusions of the young and naive, but she believe it with every ounce of her being. Green eyes scanned their surroundings. The trees were so weird! They were beautiful though with their long, whispy branches. With a laugh, Bowen dove through the leafy branches and disappeared beneath a willow. Her little paws splashed in one of the many wandering streams and she yipped in surprise. The water was cold here! Much colder it seemed than by the springs. Was it because the springs were so warm? It was something to ask about later. Artorias asked if she was looking for anything in particular and the girls ears perked. She popped her head out of the curtain of willow branches and gave the question a hard think. "Just special things. I'll know them when I see them." It was hard to explain. Bowen didn't just collect shiny things. She collected special things. Things that were unique and different. She'd brought her little bag to fill. "What about you? What do you want to do here, Torias?" Surely he had to get something out of this too.

It was impossible for Artorias to keep from snickering when he watched Bowen dive through a curtain of willow branches, only to pop her head back out through them again. This—this was what he was working so hard for. So that wolves like Bowen would never have to live knowing anything other than wonder and happiness. Some would have said Artorias was too mature for his age, but he didn't see it that way. The pup had known for a long time what he wanted to be and what was important to him. His family was important to him, their happiness and safety were important to him. In a way, he was a lot like Resin in that regard. Maybe sometimes a little too much so, but when that happened, the part of Tamsyn that had imprinted in his personality would show up, and he would be the bright, happy boy that had splashed through streams with Rudy and was now exploring new worlds with Bo.

She didn't give him much to go on with her answer. Special things could have been any number of items. Sticks were special to him, but some how he doubted they would hold the same value to Bo as they did to him. But that was okay; she would just have to do all the searching while he safeguarded her. Bowen asked him what he wanted to do, and Artorias gave her a roguish grin in response. "I'm already doing what I want: I'm getting to explore somewhere new!" he replied while he wandered over to the stream and dipped his paws in the cool shallow water. The feeling of the water rushing over his digits felt incredible; he had always been strangely drawn to water. "When I get older, I wanna see the world, Bo! I wanna go see mountains and caves and forests and lakes! I wanna see all of Boreas." He turned his vibrant amber eyes back to his sister. "If you want, you can come explore with me too! We can go treasure hunting and find you all sorts of cool things to bring back home! Or I can bring you back souvenirs if you wanna stay home too."

In the back of his mind, Artorias knew that his new training regiments would take all of his time and dedication. But at some point, there would come a day when his training had reached its apex, and he would need to venture into the world to hone his skills. Those were the days he planned to see everything the wide, wide world had to offer him. If Bowen came with him, even better! But if she only wanted to go to places nearby or stay with the pack, he would understand. He would never forget his little sister though, and he vowed to always make sure to bring her something back from his travels. Feeling a little more bold, Artorias waded further into the stream until the cold water came halfway up his legs. He wished he could swim in it, but this stream was far too shallow for that.

While his paws moved over the rocky riverbed, his eyes scanned over the pebbles below the surface, looking for anything that might be interesting to Bowen. All of the rocks looked unique, with swirls of different colors in the sedimentary stones. "There's some cool looking pebbles over here if you wanna take a look!" he called over to Bo, making sure he never ventured too far from wherever she was in case she needed him for anything.

"Speech" | Thoughts

One big happy family

Artorias has two ravens named Corbin and Eira and a fox named Argent. Assume they are within calling distance at all times.
As his mate, Briar may enter Artorias' threads unless marked Private.
____________________

"Bowen" Artorias spoke about what he wanted to do when he grew up. His offer to take her with him was met with giant green eyes wide with surprise. "You'd take me with you?! But my legs are so small and yours are so long. I'd have a hard time keeping up and I'd hold you back. And no one wants their little sister trailing behind them, right? That's now what you want, is it, Torias?" With barely a breath in between, the girl launched into her reasoning behind why he surely couldn't want her to go with him. Oh, but she would love to go! Bowen wanted to see the world too! She wanted to travel all over and collect as much treasure as she could manage. Bowen's imagination took hold as she saw herself standing on a pile of treasure. She'd sleep in it. Sit on it. Eat on it. Her whole den would be nothing but treasure forever and ever. She would guard that treasure against thieves with her big sharp.. uhh... Well maybe not that part. Maybe she could get someone else to guard it for her? Hmm... At her brothers insistence that there were shiny rocks nearby, Bowen perked up and bounced over to see them. She stood beside her much larger sibling and peered down into the little running stream. There was one particular stone that seemed to be swirled with grey and blue. "Oooo," the girl exclaimed before plucking it from the water with her paw. She held it up to the light that filtered down upon them and gave a few nods of approval before sliding it into the little bag around her neck. "Good find!" Birds sang in the willows and the gentle breeze rustled the branches, making it sound like they were whispering to one another. Bowen tilted her head and looked up to Artorias. "What do you think the trees are talking about?" Though winter was on its way, today seemed to be rather warm. Even the breeze was warm. Bowen found it funny though that the water was still cold.

Artorias cocked his head to the side in confusion when Bowen burst into a high speed rant about why he wouldn't want her to go along with him on adventures. He didn't really understand where she was coming from with her reasoning. Sure, she was smaller than him, but that didn't mean she didn't deserve the same opportunities that he got. If she wanted to see the world too, he'd want her to come along! That's what family did, wasn't it? Stick together and have each other's backs. "Of course I want you to come with me, Bo! It doesn't matter if your legs are smaller, I'll just walk slower. I'd rather walk with my sister than walk alone." A huge grin burst across Art's face as another idea popped into his head. "And if you get too tired to keep up, I'll just carry you instead. I bet with all the training Mom's giving me, I'm gonna be strong enough to take you wherever you wanna go!" The mental image of him slinging his smaller sister across his back as they trekked across fjords and fields made the boy snicker to himself. His words were earnest and heartfelt all the same; an adventure on its own was amazing—an adventure with your friends and family was life-changing.

When he had called her over, he had no idea what criteria Bo had when it came to collecting her treasures. For the most part, her collection seemed to be random and made up of a hodgepodge of whatever she could get her paws on. Artorias stood next to her in the rippling stream while she studied the rocks beneath the water, keeping his alert eyes up and scanning the trees to make sure they were alone. He exchanged a brief glance with the jackals who looked entirely bored to be out here doing nothing. Eh, maybe the scavengers weren't so bad after all... They were just like weird, lanky wolf things. Bowen let out a coo of delight and Artorias looked down in time to see her pluck a blue-streaked pebble from the riverbed and slip it into her satchel. A proud smile made its home on the boy's face, happy he was able to find something she liked. Mission accomplished!

A gust of wind ran through the woods then, rustling their coats and causing the willows' branches to sway and rub together like natural wind chimes. If he listened closely, he could almost swear he heard voices speaking to them in the wind, and all of a sudden the place felt almost ethereal, as if it didn't belong to this plane of existence. Artorias gazed around at the dancing willows with awe. He'd never heard anything like this before! "I dunno... Maybe they're talking about us..." he replied with a wry smirk to his sister. Rudy had confided in Artorias his belief that they were all destined for greatness, and maybe nature saw it in them as well. Were the trees and the wind speaking of the lives the future held for the Hallows children? Or was it all just fanciful imaginings of a young mind? "Mama did say the land is alive. Maybe they're trying to tell us their secrets... or where to find some cool treasure for you to bring back home." Artorias slowly peered around the woods again, allowing himself to be absorbed in the moment and immerse himself in the world. Everything seemed so big and vast around them... It was awe-inspiring and intimidating, but the blue pup found himself longing for more. There was just so much to do and see! Would he ever have enough time for it all?

"Speech" | Thoughts

One big happy family

Artorias has two ravens named Corbin and Eira and a fox named Argent. Assume they are within calling distance at all times.
As his mate, Briar may enter Artorias' threads unless marked Private.
____________________

It was nice of Artorias to want to take her with him. She did want to go. It was Bowen's wish to travel the world. See all of the different places. Take treasures from each of them and build a huge hoard of pretty things. "I'd like that a lot. Then I won't have to go by myself." It would be nice to have a traveling companion. Bowen also hoped that she would have a companion by then. A little friend to accompany her everywhere. She'd been about to ask Artorias about companions when he answered her question about the trees. He thought that maybe they were talking about them and the small girl looked towards the willows with wonder. "If they're talking to us, then we should listen, right?" Bowen took a step towards one of the trees and bowed her crown respectfully. "Thank you for talking to us." The girl closed her eyes and listened to the whisper of the trees. With her eyes still closed, she began to walk. As the whispering came louder, she moved towards it. When it quieted, she turned in the opposite direction. It was like a little game to her, but she believed that the trees were truly speaking. As Bowen moved, her paw hit something that clattered against the willow roots. Opening her eyes, she looked down and saw a strange item. Sitting at her paws was a large sphere. It was covered in mud and leaves, but Bo could tell that it was something special. She lifted it and it was rather heavy. Difficult to move with since it was too large for her mouth and she needed two paws to carry it. Instead she rolled the sphere towards one of the streams. Pushing it into the water, she began to wash the grime away. By the time it was clean, Bowen's eyes were wide in amazement. "Wow! Torias! Wow!" Pulling the sphere from the water, she bounced excitedly in place. The sphere was in fact a ball of clear glass or crystal. It was completely unblemished and as clear as clear could be. "It's so pretty! What is it?!" "Bowen"

While Artorias was just enjoying the breeze ruffling through his fur, he kept a close watch on Bowen as she went around to each rustling tree, bowing to the trees and moving from willow tree to willow tree with her eyes closed as if she was being guided by some unseen force. At first, Art thought it was cute and endearing, but the more he watched, the more curious it became. He raised a brow, taking a few leisurely steps after his sister to see what she was up to. As he got closer, he saw Bowen start digging something from the earth and then begin rolling this strange, large sphere towards the stream. "Whatcha got there, Bo?" asked Artorias while the boy followed his sister to the stream. Bowen's sudden squeals of delight and exclamations caught Artorias by surprise, and the boy's pace picked up to come investigate what she had found. There, sitting at Bowen's paws, was a sizable sphere, completely clear and translucent, reflecting a few stray beams of sunlight off its smooth surface.

Artorias had to hand it to Bowen, she had an uncanny ability to find the strangest and rarest treasures of all! His eyes were wide, his mouth hung agape at the discovery the girl had made. It looked like something out of a fairy tale, and yet here it was, right in front of them! "Oh, wow, Bo! That's awesome!" He reached forward and placed a delicate paw on the orb, careful to make sure his claws didn't make contact with its pristine surface while he rubbed it with curious paw pads. It was so smooth and cool to the touch. "I dunno, but it's sooooo cool!" he said, racking his brain to try to come up with any answer that would make sense, but coming back empty-handed. "That's definitely a keeper for your collection! Remember to thank the trees for helping you find it!" Although he was partially playing with her, he also had no idea if some otherworldly force had caused this remarkable find to manifest for his sister, especially since she had found it mere moments after he had made the exact same joke.

But then came a question that he bet was probably on her mind too. "How're we gonna get it back to the den?"

"Speech" | Thoughts | "Corbin"

The trees had helped her find one of the prettiest treasures that she'd ever seen! Even Artorias was amazed by the glass sphere. Bowen had no idea what it was or what it was used for, but she knew that it was hers. The trees had given it to her. Just as her brother reminded her to thank the trees, Bowen was bowing low, her muzzle on the ground. Emerald eyes closed and she was very, very serious. "Thank you, trees, for showing me this pretty treasure. I appreciate your kindness." She'd stolen some of those words from mom. Their mother was rather eloquent and Bowen liked to listen to both of her moms talk. She learned a lot from them. Rising from her bow, Bowen scampered forward and gave the closest tree a hug, pressing her cheek against the bark of the willow. She really was very, very thankful. Her brother then brought up a very good point. How were they going to get it back to the den? A frown tugged at the small child's maw. "I don't know. It's too big for me to carry in my mouth and we can't roll it all the way back." It would take too long and the ball might get dirty again or worse, it might get hurt. The prospect of leaving this amazing treasure behind, her gift from the trees, made tears fill Bowen's green eyes. "You have to help me, Torias. We have to find something to carry it back in. I can't leave it here. It's my present from the trees!" She looked up at him with huge, liquid filled eyes and silently begged her brother to fix it. Artorias was smart. He would think of something, right? "Bowen"

It was downright adorable watching Bowen go hug the trees and thank them for her lovely new gift. Although it seemed absurd to Artorias, he didn't say anything; why spoil his sister's good mood? He smiled while he watched her mirth, but it quickly fell from his face when he saw the panic in Bowen's eyes as she also came to the realization that bringing it back up to their den was not going to be an easy feat. The tears that welled up in his sister's verdant eyes very nearly broke Art's little heart, and he knew he had to be her superhero today. The boy pursed his lips as he studied the glass ball, then scanned the surrounding area for some sort of solution. They would need something to help slide the ball back up to the den without it rolling away... but how could they do that?

As if the trees were answering all of their pleas today, Artorias spotted a nearby willow with a good strip of bark peeling away from its trunk. His eyes lit up with the kindling of an idea, the pup bounding over to the tree with a few leaps and jumping up to grab the bark with his teeth and claws, tugging with all his might and weight. The bark bent and buckled, but held strong. Artorias growled and tugged, tugged, tugged with all his might! Snap! The bark finally broke free with some wooden creaking and cracking, and Art beamed at his reward. The bark was curved like a U-shape, and when he pushed it along the grass and dirt, it slid easily like a makeshift sled. "Bo! I've got an idea!" he called out to his sister, pushing the bark sled over to her so she could see. "We can push the ball back home with this! He and She can help too! We just need something in the back here to keep the ball from rolling away, something that can be packed in..." Looking around again, Artorias spotted a rock just big enough to wedge into the bark sled, and then padded it with some branches from a bush. He nudged the stopper with his shoulder a few times and was satisfied to find it didn't budge.

"There we go! We can rest the ball in here, and then we just slide it home! What do you think? Think it might work?" He looked back at his little sister, tail wagging excitedly, hopeful that his plan would cheer her up again. He didn't like to see his family get upset.

"Speech" | Thoughts | "Corbin"