The moment the heard about how low on herbs Artorias' sister was from healing their mother she knew she had to go out and help find more. She thought about that bundle of herbs that Artorias had given her during her last visit and felt guilty that they didn't have them here now. Silently she made a promise to herself to go back home and get the ones that she hadn't used yet to give them back to Gwynevere if they weren't successful during this endeavor, but for now she was willing to go hunting for them with Artorias and at least make herself useful during her time saying in the Hallows with him.

All of the areas closest to the castle had already been picked clean so she suggested going just a bit further out, seeing the trees in the distance. "Surely we'll have some better luck if we go looking around a forest," she mentioned as she drove them onward toward the trees. "There's pretty much always plants growing in the undergrowth and there's plenty of herbs that grow on tree bark that could be helpful." Of course that would all depend on them finding ones that would still be alive in this forever winter, but... at least it was a little hope.

She led the way into the trees, her turquoise gaze sweeping this way and that as she slowly scanned the ground and the trees for any sign of life or at least some wilted plants that could perhaps be worked into a poultice even if they weren't in the best condition. The trees grew thick here and even though there were no leaves to speak of, they still make it difficult to get a clear line of sight in any direction and the bare, thorny vines clustered around them didn't exactly make for an inviting atmosphere. "Well this is just a lovely piece of Auster, isn't it?" she commented with a huff. Even if they didn't manage to find any herbs out here, she was still kind of glad that she was getting Art away from the castle for a bit. She could see him continuing to work himself into a spiral and she refused to let it go on any longer.

A loud rustling somewhere to her left caught her attention and she paused mid step, suddenly on high alert as she looked off through the trees, leaning a bit as she tried to look around the trunks to catch a glimpse of what it might be. "Did you hear something?" she questioned softly to Artorias, shifting back a couple steps to return to a spot closer to his side.

WC: 446/1500

"Briar" | "Marigold"

After having gone herb gathering with Gwynevere earlier in the day, Artorias wasn't all that surprised to find Briar waiting for him to return, wishing to do the exact same thing. It was touching that she wanted to help his family out, even if there was only a limited amount any of them could do, so of course he had been more than willing to agree to Briar's request. He hadn't used his sword while out with Gwyn, so he was still suited up in his leather armor with his sword strapped to his back when they headed out due south of the castle. The two younglings made their way beyond the territories bordering the Hallows until they reached a thick segment of forest he hadn't been to before. This was the furthest he'd ever gone outside of pack territory without a group before, so naturally Artorias was a little on edge when Briar led the charge into the woods.

Although he didn't know a lick about healing, he still listened while Briar explained her reasoning for picking the forest for the herbs that could grow in the undergrowth and on tree trunks. He was happy to listen to her talk about her passions and was secretly pleased that she was including him in her work. "Well, like I told my sister, you just tell me what to be on the lookout for and I'll help you where I can," he replied as they walked deeper and deeper into the woods. The threes here were unusual—twisted and gnarled in almost unnatural bends, their thorny branches reaching out in all directions as if trying to grab the wolves and blot out the gray sky overhead. There was also a profound lack of animal life: no birds, no prey, no predators—nothing. Just eerie silence beyond their paws crunching the snow and ice, and their voices.

Briar commented on the pleasantness of the territory, and Artorias simply responded with an agreeing murmur, his fiery eyes too busy peering through the labyrinthian trees to try and look out for any potential threats. Something about this place gave him the creeps and made him feel uneasy. It was almost like something was watching them... "Hey, Briar, I think maybe we should-" Artorias was cut off from asking her to turn back around by a snapping of wood and a rustling sound close by. His head snapped to attention, amber eyes focused in the direction the sounds had come from, every muscle in his body tensed like a tightly coiled spring, every nerve on high alert. His fur bristled while he took a cautious step forward to meet Briar while she backed up closer to his side. He felt safer now that she was next to him knowing he could protect her more readily.

"Yes," he responded in a hushed tone, the boy standing stock still while straining his ears to listen for another sound. Minutes seemed to pass like hours while he stood perfectly still, trying to get a read on whatever had made that noise. Nothing happened. Everything remained silent and still. Art lifted his nose and took a sniff of the air, sampling it for any scents. A lesser trained wolf would have probably relaxed and gone about their day. A lesser trained wolf would also be dead. Artorias instead reached over his shoulder to grab the hilt of his sword in his teeth, slowly drawing the weapon with a subtle scrape of wood on leather. He squared himself into a defensive position, standing between Briar and where the sound had come from. Then he gave a low, threatening growl toward nothing in particular.

A deeper, bossier growl responded to the boy's.

Artorias locked his eyes on a tree directly in front of them and growled louder. More snapping of twigs and rustling of branches was heard—and then a massive extra dire wolf stepped out into view, lips peeled back to reveal yellowed fangs while it fixed a hungry gaze on the two yearlings. Artorias noticed the wolf was missing its left eye and his blood ran cold. He knew this dire wolf, and this wolf stared at him with a venomous look that suggested he remembered the boy.

"We meet again, pup," the dire wolf spoke, his voice deep and heavy with a foreign accent. "You brought friend this time. Good. Will make for better sport to kill you both."

Artorias didn't respond, instead moving to block Briar further. "Start backing up slowly..." he whispered to his companion, refusing to take his eyes off the dire wolf the entire time. He didn't think they'd be able to outrun the wolf if it decided to pursue them, but maybe it would remember how Artorias had defeated it last time and back off. And hopefully it wouldn't remember how it had almost beaten him.

WC: 1256 / 1500


"Artorias" | Thoughts | "Corbin"

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.
____________________

Briar could hear her own heart beat in her ears as they stood perfectly still waiting for something to happen as the already eerie forest took on a far more sinister feeling. Her eyes continued to carefully scan the trees around them, remaining on high alert as long as Artorias did as well. She gave him a quick glance as he reached for his sword before she went back to watching the trees, waiting for any kind of sound, any kind of movement. All of her muscles were coiled and ready to either spring into action or make a run for it, whichever turned out to be the better option. Artorias' threatening growl caused a deeper, more concerning echo from somewhere in the forest, making Briar's ears flick uncertainly. It did give her searching gaze something to lock on to though as she stared in the direction of the sound.

Art growled again and instead of another answering growl they were greeted with the sound of the crunching and snapping of forest brush. As soon as the massive wolf stepped into view, a chill ran over her. She was immediately taken back to the night that a whole pack of these murderous wolves attacked the Armada and reminded of the story that Artorias had told her when he found her on her first trip down here. The dire wolf's greeting to the friend at her side made her give Artorias a quick glance before she fixed her gaze on its one eyed face once more. Meet again? This was the same brute that Blue Boy had fought before? It made her wonder if Artorias was the reason it was missing an eye, but now was certainly not the time to ask.

She frowned when Artorias when to block her off more from the dire wolf in front of them, telling her to back away slowly. "Not without you," she whispered back to him with a furrow in her brow, nudging his shoulder with her own as she settled into her defenses with head low and fur bristling. He wasn't the only one that had fought one of these beasts before. "The forest is thick, we might be able to lose him," she whispered quickly, trying to think of a plan. "Or one of us loop around and get on his blind side."

WC: 1648/1500

"Briar" | "Marigold"

For the longest, tensest moment, neither Artorias nor the dire wolf moved a muscle. Each seemed to be sizing up the other, considering their options and weighing the consequences. The last time they had faced off, Artorias had never been in an actual life or death fight before. Now he had three tucked under his belt and he was more skilled for each, facing off with his Goliath-sized foe with more confidence than cockiness this time. He could have snorted in frustration when Briar refused to follow his instructions and instead stepped forward to assume a fighting stance. Gods dammit, Briar, why can't you listen to me for once...?! He wanted to look around, to assess their situation and find the optimal route for escape if they needed it. Every good battle started with a plan. Resin had drilled that into his head at a young age. Except he knew if he looked away from his opponent, the dire wolf would strike.

"Briar, now is not the time..." he hissed through clenched jaws. I'm responsible for you... I have to protect you... Though the words were internalized, they didn't change how the boy behaved when he had stood between the giant dire and her. He didn't care if the other wolf had nearly a foot on him and probably close to a hundred pounds too. He would fight tooth and nail to keep Briar safe from harm. His hackles raised as his growls deepened, Art's adolescent voice a cross between threatening and amusing. The dire wolf smirked at the boy and flashed his wickedly sharp teeth to the younglings.

"You are brave as you are stupid. This time, I show no mercy."

All at once, the dire wolf sprung at the children, leaping an almost impossible distance to close the gap between them. Without even thinking about it, Artorias shoved Briar out of the way with his shoulder to intercept the full blow of the dire wolf. The heavy frame of the giant brute slammed into him, sending the boy tumbling head over paws across the snow. Art came to rest on his side, his world still spinning, but he was able to stumble to his feet. No sooner had he gotten up, the dire wolf was charging at him again, lethal jaws open wide to snap down on him. Artorias swung his sword with a grunt to catch the wolf's jaws with the blade, struggling against his opponent's raw strength while he tried to fend him back.

The last time he had locked his sword in this wolf's jaws, his opponent had snapped his weapon in half. This time, however, it seemed that the dire wolf had learned from past mistakes. Instead of biting through the wooden blade, the dire wolf instead brought a massive paw around to clock Artorias in the side of his head, knocking the boy loose from the sword and knocking him back to the ground in a heap. Artorias' ears were ringing and he felt sudden dizziness and pain. He tried to get his bearings, only to watch the dire wolf snap his sword in half again and spit the remains out to the snow, leering menacingly down at the fallen wolf and advancing slowly towards him.


"Artorias" | Thoughts | "Corbin"

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.
____________________

Briar would have been mad about him dismissing her when she was trying to help, but as it was they had a giant dire wolf to deal with first. She was about to bite back at him to tell her what he wanted to do when the massive brute spoke again just before leaping across the space to reach them She snarled and went to leap into the fight just as any Warlord's daughter would, only to feel Artorias' should slam into hers and knock her to the side. Being mid jump she hadn't had a stable stance and he sent her tumbling to the ground with an "oof". What the hell?! she thought to herself, absolutely furious with Artorias as she hurried back to her paws and shook herself as she got her bearings about her again.

When she looked up again she saw the dire wolf locked onto Artorias' sword, the beast's paw swinging toward his head. Panic and anger hit her system when she saw her friend go down hard, losing the grip on his sword as he was thrown to the ground. With a furious snarl on her lips, she darted toward the dire wolf, keeping to his blind side and coming in toward him slightly angled toward his flank to really stay out of sight and let his attention stay focused on Artorias for a beat longer. As soon as she was close enough she leaped up, hooking her feline claws into the dire wolf's side and climbing him like a tree, listening to the vicious snarls that ripped through him in response as she quickly scrambled up onto his back, situating herself around his scruff where he couldn't turn his head far enough to reach her because of his heavily muscled frame.

No one messes with her Art. Not even some giant dire wolf freak. With her claws of her front back back paws hooked securely into the thicker skin around his neck and shoulders, Briar started biting and ripping at his ears and around the base of his skull while feeling a bit like a bull rider, feeling him shake and jerk around in any attempt to get get her off. She saw him going to slam his shoulder into a tree and she quickly pulled her hind leg on that side up out of the way, preventing it from getting crushed in the process. She wanted to at the very least keep him busy long enough for Artorias to get back to his feet and recover from getting hit across the side of his head and as soon as she saw Blue Boy upright she timed it so that she could release the brute's neck and leap off over top of his head, kicking her hind legs hard into his face and ripping the claws of her hind paws deep across his fore head.

She didn't quite stick the landing as she hit the ground next to Artorias, falling and rolling a bit before she managed to get back to get back to her paws. "Come on!!" she yelled before hitting the ground running, racing and darting out of the forest as fast as her paws would carry her. She didn't wait to see if Artorias was following, but occasionally she'd hear him crash through a bit of brush or something so she had to assume he was at her heels. Once they were beyond the edge of the woods she slowed a bit, looking over her shoulder to see if the beast that she felt could barely be called a wolf was following or not, but it didn't seem like he was. She still kept going for a bit longer just to put a bit more distance between them and it just in case, but eventually she slowed to a stop, panting and breathing hard.

As soon as she had enough air in her lungs to speak, she rounded on Artorias with a glare, reaching out to shove his chest with her paw. "What the hell?!" she demanded between panting, her hackles bristling. "What were you thinking shoving me away like that?! I... I thought you were going to get killed!" Her anger faltered, revealing the worry that fueled it. Her ears folded back, still bristling and angry, but her turquoise eyes gave away her concern. "Are you alright?"

"Briar" | "Marigold"

The next thing he knew, Artorias saw the giant dire wolf rear back and roar with anger and pain. He didn't understand what was going on until he saw Briar on the predator's back, going to absolute town on him with her claws and teeth, tearing chunks of fur out and spattering blood across the snowy ground. Art wasted no time scrambling back to his paws, albeit a little more unsteady with his head still ringing. It was nowhere near as bad as the first time when he'd gotten concussed, but it had shaken him up a bit. The boy shook his head to clear the cobwebs and came to his senses just as Briar was catapulting herself from the dire wolf and tumbling into the snow. He hurried to her side, but the Fatalis girl was already on her feet and beating a hasty retreat, calling for him to follow.

Artorias cast one last cautionary glance at the enraged dire wolf and then took off after his friend, his paws tearing through the snow while he ran behind her. The bellow of the homicidal wolf seemed to echo from everywhere around them while they ran and ran and ran, Artorias crushing his way through dead underbrush and leaping over obstacles to keep up. His fleet footing helped him keep pace with Briar, and in no time the two had burst forth from the woods and out into the open again. Art followed Briar's every step until they came to a stop, panting hard and keeping his guarded gaze on the tree line, just in case...

He had been too busy watching the trees for any danger, so he didn't notice when Briar fronted on him and shoved him on his chest, taking the boy aback while he toppled back onto his haunches. Wide amber eyes blinked rapidly in surprise, catching Briar's furious expression while she chastised him for shoving her out of harm's way. For a moment, Artorias' mind went blank and he didn't know how to respond, staring at her angry, worried expression with his mouth just opening and closing like he was trying to say something. She was angry at him for protecting her?

"I... I had to protect you," he responded, speaking slowly as if his actions should have been obvious to her. "I made a promise to keep you safe. You're my responsibility, so I had to make sure you didn't get hurt. Those wolves..." He had seen firsthand what one of them could do. He couldn't allow Briar to be in danger. Surely she understood that, didn't she? "I'm sorry, I had to get you out of the way before he bit you. I'd rather he attack me instead. That wasn't your fight." At her last question, he looked down at his body, taking inventory of his body to make sure he hadn't been hurt beyond the ringing in his ears which was already fading. "I'm fine, I think. Are you okay?"


"Artorias" | Thoughts | "Corbin"

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.
____________________

Her brow furrowed and a frown pulled at her lips when he simply insisted that he had to protect her. Even with the explanation that he was her responsibility thanks to her father she still didn't understand. Why would he take on a blow like that just to push her out of the way instead of them both dodging it, both jumping into the fight. It didn't make sense. She was glad that he was alright, but... It was so frustrating. What did he take her for, some damsel in distress that needed to be saved? She sighed and shook her head, letting the anger and tension go. He meant well, she knew he did. It was just annoying. And also infuriating that he would just put himself in danger and worry her instead.

"A pack of those dire wolves attacked the armada not long after I visited with you last. I ended up fighting one of them off with my brother," she explained after a moment as she looked down at her paws to check her claws and make sure none of them had gotten broken or torn in the fight. "I knew what to expect. That's why I was just trying to help you come up with a plan. I didn't care either way, I just needed a direction so that we were on the same page." Instead, he had pushed her down to "save" her and took the full burnt of the impact. Silly boy.

She brought her gaze up to his again as she got up, nudging his shoulder with her's, sighing softly. "Just... Make us a team next time. I can fight. Don't act like I can't."

"Briar" | "Marigold"

Artorias was more than a little surprised by Briar's anger at him, genuinely not understanding what he had done wrong. It was better if he got hurt instead of Briar, so he'd done what any good guardian would have done. That confusion continued when she started to explain how a pack of giant dires had attacked the Armada and how she had helped to fight them off. It slowly dawned on him just what his transgression had been and why she was so upset with him. Briar was capable of fighting and holding her own, she had wanted to be a team and fight the dire wolf with him when he'd just wanted to protect her and beat a hasty retreat. They had not only been on two different wavelengths, Art wasn't even considering her as a teammate. That was what he had done wrong.

Once he realized what had upset Briar, the boy's black ears flattened back against his head and guilt dulled the light in his amber eyes. He hadn't meant to make her feel like they weren't a team or to disparage her skills. In honesty, he hadn't thought about any of that. He had only seen a large predator charging Briar and his brain made the split second decision to get her out of harm's warm by any means necessary. "You're right... I'm sorry," he replied, head bowed in apologetic sheepishness. Briar wanted to be treated like an equal and he hadn't done that. He'd be better for next time. At her nudge, the two began their trek back towards the castle. That was enough herb searching for now.


"Artorias" | Thoughts | "Corbin"

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.
____________________