Ulric had spent the entirety of the autumn season setting the stage for the next iteration of The Hallows and making the transition to Artorias' reign that much more smooth. He had never really felt like anyone had really set him up for success at any point in his life and he wouldn't cause the same struggle for his Baron as he took the reins. The ranks of The Hallows were comfortably full of wolves that were each contributed something to the pack as a whole and there was a good spread across a good majority of skill sets. The food stores were well stocked, the alpacas were being picked off far less often with the addition of the dogs that he had purchased for himself and Eska, and he was happy with the choices he had made with who he had placed in the higher ranks of the pack. All in all he felt like his prep had been pretty successful and he was happy with the state the pack was in.

He had originally intended to hand over the pack in the summer once Artorias hit his second birthday, but the more he watched the young man the more he felt like Artorias was more than capable to at least begin taking over some of the responsibility sooner rather than later. There was also a slightly more selfish reasoning and wanting behind the decision, but no matter how much he wanted to enjoy the new love he found in Eska and no matter how much he wanted to spend more time with his children he would never put this responsibility on Artorias if he wasn't confident that he could handle it. He had given Artorias some time to get settled back into the pack once he returned, letting him get caught up with everything that had happened while he was gone, before he went to find the Carpathius boy to share the idea with him.

Artorias was fairly easy to find, just following the sound of a sword hitting something with a solid thud to the training room Artorias kept on the east side of the castle. He nudged open the slightly ajar door, stepping into the room and standing off to the side to wait until Artorias was finished or at least until his presence was noticed. "Always hard at work," he commented with a soft chuckle. "Can you spare a moment? I'd like to talk to you."

Ulric Adravendi

Artorias watched the mannequin shake violently as the wooden sparring sword connected with its head with a satisfying thwack! Focused eyes were narrowed into deadly points, teeth bared around the hilt of his sword as he spun and brought the sword around into the dummy's head and neck again, repeating the steps again and again each time with lethal efficiency. A murderous fire burned in his heart as he pictured taking out the wolf that had desecrated and demeaned his family, trying to picture the monster's face with every blow of his sword. In the days that had followed his return to the Hallows, Artorias had tried to find any leads that would point him in the direction his sister's attacker. As suspected, the scents around the Cedar Falls were gone by now, leaving him with nothing but a description and a general area. He'd sent Corbin out to scout for loners in Auster to see if anyone had seen a wolf fitting that description and could point him down a path. Until then, he trained, preparing himself for the moment when he would cut this bastard's head from his neck.

Artorias had been so lost in his training that he didn't hear the door to the dojo open, nor Ulric slip inside to observe him. The young brute wailed on the poor dummy again and again with his sword, switching up combos and parries to deadly efficiency. Each flurry of attacks was choreographed with practiced steps to make sure every blow dealt as much damage as it could. Huffing and growling with each movement, Artorias became more aggressive swing after swing after swing, until with a snarl, he smashed the sword against the dummy's head, knocking it from its shoulders and snapping the wooden blade in half in turn. Artorias panted hard, letting his breathing come under control before turning to collect a new sword and spotting Ulric off to the side. He blinked in surprise, dropping the broken sword to the floor with a clatter as he approached his alpha.

Ulric greeted him with a comment on his work ethic around his training. Artorias smirked and nodded, glancing back at the maimed mannequin and broken sparring sword. He couldn't deny that he'd always taken his training seriously, but this felt much more severe to him than any time before. He was training for a fight to the death. "If you're not getting better, you're getting worse, right?" Artorias quipped back with a chuckle of his own, then nodded to Ulric's request. "Of course. What's on your mind?"

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Corbin" | "Argent"

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.
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Ulric gave Artorias an appreciative nod when he agreed to talk with him before settling down onto his haunches. He considered taking Art out and walking as they talked, but at least here in his dojo he was more certain they would have some privacy. "I wanted to talk to you about The Hallows and the plans for you to take over as the alpha," he said to start setting the stage and giving Art a sense of the kind of conversation he wanted to have. "I've been doing some thinking since you returned from the Armada and I'm really not sure there is much more I can teach you. You have proven yourself to be a more than capable fighter, you communicate and negotiate fluidly and easily, you do very well when it comes to knowing what's going on in the pack and what the pack needs... You've already far surpassed anything I could do when I was your age."

He smiled softly, letting that sink in for a moment before he continued. "What I would like to do is trade roles with you. You can take over as Aegis and I'll be your second in command. I can help you lead and we'll do it as a partnership until you turn two in the summer or until you feel comfortable standing on your own - whatever comes first. I won't just dump this on you, but I don't think there's any more that you can learn as the heir. At this point I think the only way for you to learn anything else is by actually doing." He waited for Artorias to process what he had proposed, giving him a curious look. "What do you think? Are you up for it?"

Ulric Adravendi

Artorias listened closely while Ulric began to explain what he wanted to talk about. The Hallows and his being heir to the pack was the topic on the agenda today. He listened while his alpha praised the work he had done for the pack, all of the learning he had accomplished, and his own strengths around the Hallows. It was all a tremendous compliment to be paid, but Artorias couldn't help but wonder where this conversation was heading. Ulric ultimately ended his monologue by telling Artorias how he had surpassed where even Ulric was at his age and that he didn't believe he had anything else to teach him.

What followed took Artorias by immense surprise. Ulric wanted to switch roles, for Artorias to take over as Aegis and he would become Baron. Artorias would become alpha of the Hallows with Ulric as his right hand man to support him and help guide him as he adjusted to reigning over the pack. Artorias' mouth hung agape in shock, eyes wide while he scrutinized Ulric's expression for any signs of feigning or dishonesty. There were none, of course; Ulric genuinely wanted to hand the reins over to Artorias now, support him until his second birthday, and then let him have total control. For a long while, Artorias didn't know how to respond. This was a tremendous honor, and so very unexpected and out of the blue! Of course, he knew what his answer was going to be, even if his mouth couldn't form the words yet.

"Ulric, I... This is a major honor. Thank you for believing in me and helping me," he said, unable to keep the huge smile from creeping across his face, or his feather duster of a tail from wagging excitedly over the stone floor. "I'd be happy to accept, of course! I would still like all of your help and guidance, at least until I'm two and have a little more experience under my belt. But I agree with you: the best way for me to learn now is to just do it." With a determined nod of his head and a fire in his eyes, Artorias finished with, "I would be honored to take over as Aegis of the Hallows." Aegis of the Hallows... This was it.

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Corbin" | "Argent"

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.
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