After finding this magical place during her search of the northern territories to find the gems that eventually made their way into Artorias' sword, she knew she needed to bring Artorias here. His love of exploration and seeing new places in the world was something she always remembered and appreciated about him, even though she didn't make the effort to go and explore as often as he did. There was also just a little part of her that wanted to steal him away for at least a little while just to have some time to themselves.

He was always pulled in so many directions with the pack and his duties as an alpha that it was hard to have any time with him throughout the day, usually only getting time with him at night when they went to bed or sometimes during meals. Plus, with having to share him with Bowen she wanted to have just a few days of uninterrupted time to herself since she was sure Bowen would get the same occasionally. She had thought that her jealousy over the Carpathius woman had faded since Artorias first told her about his love for her, but being in The Hallows full time and seeing them together and having Bowen's scent on Artorias from time to time reminded her of it and brought it back in full force.

She did her best to remember the path to the hidden grotto, leading Artorias through the mountains of the north. At least it was summer and the weather wasn't too chilly, though it was noticeably cooler than it was back home in Auster. "Shouldn't be too much farther now," she said as she looked back over her shoulder at Artorias with a grin, making their way though the rocky mountain path. Eventually she found the point in the path where it lead back behind a tall ridge of rock, the path ahead of them dark and difficult to see. "I just stuck against the left wall through here and got through pretty easily," she told him. It was much less daunting the second time around since she knew what they would find on the other side.

Briar was still careful as she went forward, her paws feeling the path ahead of her just to make sure she didn't trip. The light behind them faded away and for at least a few moments they were in complete darkness before the golden light ahead of them started to appear. She kept one ear turned back just to listen for Artorias' steps to make sure he was still right behind her. They got closer and closer to the light and she grinned when she started to see the sparkle and shine of the many fire-hued gems as well, her tail wagging gently behind her while she waited eagerly to see Artorias' reaction.

"Briar Fatalis"

More than ever, Artorias had been exploring his love of travel and adventuring, indulging in finally visiting the lands he'd never gotten a chance to before. He'd always had a love for exploring but never had the chance nor freedom to indulge in it until recently. He'd done some exploring with that wolf he'd met in southern Auster and some with Bowen, but after Briar had heard of his outings, she invited him to come see a unique location she'd found. The place was in northern Boreas, a good hike away from their home and a couple days' trek, so Artorias was instantly intrigued about what Briar had discovered so far away. All the way northward, Briar had kept their destination a secret, promising he'd love it once he saw it. Of that, he had no doubt—not just because it was a new place to explore, but because he was going on a special trip with Briar. She could have taken him anywhere in the world and he would have loved her for it.

Following Briar's steps with graceful, practiced paws Artorias crossed the craggy terrain of the Dreamer's Col. Even in the middle of Boreas' summer, the northern terrains were cooler than the rest of the world, the air balmy and temperate. Briar looked back at him with a smile and announced that it wasn't much farther to go, leading him down a rocky path alongside a sheer drop that curved around a ledge, barely perceptible to the untrained eye. Due to the narrowness of the path, they had to advance single file down the path into the cave, daylight slowly fading away behind them the deeper they went. Each step Artorias took was carefully measured, the seasoned navigator making short work of the treacherous path. His eyes began to adjust to the dark, following the wall like Briar demonstrated while they descended into the mountain.

Eventually, they reached the bottom of the path, and as the two wolves stepped through a gap into the grotto, Artorias lifted his gaze and gaped in awe at the splendor he saw. The walls and ceiling of the cavern they'd wound up in were covered with sparkling fiery jewels and crystals of all types. Brilliant topazes, glistening fire opals, orange sapphires and sunset tourmalines all sparkled from a thin shaft of sunlight breaking through the ceiling from a fissure leading to the surface. "Oh, Briar... This is incredible!" Artorias gasped in amazement, his open mouth slowly growing into a wide beaming smile while he took in the sight.

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian"

Briar grinned happily at Artorias' amazed reaction as he took in the glimmering, glittering walls of the grotto, all kinds of orange flecks of light dancing everywhere they looked. She couldn't keep her braided tail from swaying back and forth while he expressed how amazing it was. "I'm glad you like it!" she said earnestly, leaning over to press a kiss to his cheek before she began to move a little deeper into the grotto to find a nice place to lay among the foliage that was hidden among the secret mountain cavern. "This is where I found the topaz stones for Embershard," she told him with a glance over to him. "The blacksmith I told you about directed me to the northern mountains since he had some luck mining stones from these places before, but I don't think he even found this place. He was shocked when I told him about it."

She found a spot with some plush grass and settled down into it, patting the spot beside her for him to join her. Once he was laying down beside her she leaned into his side and nuzzled into his neck for a moment before she gave him a grin and started to look around at the grotto again. "It really is amazing the kinds of things that are just hidden away like this," she commented while her tail shifted to entwine with his, content to just rest and enjoy the beautiful landscape with him for a while. Her paw shifted to rest over his, the bracelet he gave her a year ago glimmering almost as much as all the stones lining the stone walls around them.

"Briar Fatalis"

As if Artorias' amazed reaction wasn't indication enough of how much he was floored by the mere existence of such a place, but also by Briar's thoughtfulness, his bushy tail began to wag a mile a minute from his hind end, almost spinning in a circle it was swishing about so fast. He looked away from the shimmering fire-like stones back to his beautiful girlfriend, his cheeks aching from smiling so big. She looked even more beautiful and radiant with the orange glimmers sparkling around her and reflecting in her turquoise eyes, splashes of fire in the otherwise cool pools of her gaze. When she explained that this was where she had come to gather the stones to repair Embershard, Artorias suddenly realized the even greater importance of this mystical place. Not only was it beautiful in its own rights, but Briar had come out here on her own to fix his cherished weapon for him, and now she was sharing that with him. This place had been partially responsible for seeing the gift from his late mother restored to its glory and splendor.

"Briar, this place is truly something special! Thank you for sharing this with me," he replied, stepping over to the wall to carefully pry a loose gemstone out of the wall to inspect it further. He saw Briar move out of the corner of his eye and watched while she moved to settle down on the soft grass in the shaft of sunlight from the split ravine, patting a spot beside her to beckon him over. Artorias didn't need to be told twice, and grinning to his gorgeous queen, he walked over to lie down beside her. The grasses were plush and soft, having never been eaten by any herbivores down here, and he leaned gently back into her side while he got comfortable. The dark-furred brute hummed with delight while she nuzzled his neck, leaning down to plant a tender lick to the end of her nose. "There's so many hidden wonders around the world, I've found," he said in agreement, following her gaze around the sparkling grotto until fire-kissed eyes rested upon her once more. "It's almost a shame they pale when you're in the area."

A roguish smirk touched Artorias' lips while he shamelessly flirted with the love of his life, leaning closer once more to gently kiss her cheek. His tail willingly moved to rest closer to her rump while her braided tail entwined with his, holding it captive in the best possible ways as they cuddled together. Art glanced down at her paw resting over his, seeing her sparkling topaz bracelet he'd given her a year ago next to the flawless fire opal he held next to it. They were nearly a perfect match for color, and Artorias couldn't look away from them. "We should gather up some of these stones to bring back with us," he said as he spoke his thoughts aloud. "Maybe I can convince my clever queen to make me something to match her bracelet? Like a leather band or cuff with some of these on it?" He turned the fire opal around in his digits again, considering if that would be cheesy or cute.

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian"

Briar's gaze reconnected with Artorias' as they spoke about the wonders that were hidden around their world, a grin pulling across her lips when he insisted that they paled in comparison to her. She couldn't keep herself from rolling her eyes at his corny flirting, but her tail still wagged all the same. He was silly and sweet and she loved that about him. Snuggling like this with him in this little hidden treasure trove in the mountains was more perfect than she had even imagined. She loved him more than she could ever possibly say so doing things like bringing him to special places she knew he would love was her way of showing it. Spending time with him was all she ever really wanted so something like this was a win win for them both.

She looked down to the fire opal he was playing with as he mentioned how they should collect some of these to take back with them and she nodded in agreement. "We should! They're beautiful and it's quite a trek to get here so we might as well take advantage of being here." When he mentioned the possibility of her making something from them for him to match her bracelet she smiled and leaned in to kiss his cheek. "You know I'd be happy to," she told him, giving the paw she was holding a gentle squeeze. She didn't know that much about jewelry making, but she had learned a few things from watching Ruga work that she thought she might be able to use. She hadn't thought of giving Artorias something like that to wear before, but if that was something he'd enjoy having then she'd absolutely make it happen for him. She didn't think she'd ever be able to match the beauty of the bracelet she wore, but hopefully she could at least manage something she'd be proud to give him and see him wearing every day.

"Briar Fatalis"

Artorias had been fully expecting Briar to roll her eyes or groan at him when he made a corny attempt to flirt with her, but that had been his intent all along. It was just another part of their relationship, a degree of comfortability with one another where they didn't feel the need to try to impress the other or act out of the normal. They could just be themselves and coexist like they were always meant to be together. Being with Briar felt as easy and natural as breathing to the young Carpathius brute. Despite the deadpan stare she gave him, her smile and the happy wag of her tail betrayed her enjoyment of his silliness. These simple little moments between the two lovers was everything that Artorias loved about having Briar in his life as a constant now. No longer would he feel their time together was finite, no longer did he count the days, hours, minutes until she'd have to leave him again. They were together and they would stay this way for the rest of forever.

Briar smiled and kissed his cheek, agreeing that they should take some of the fire-emblazoned stones back with them, then saying she'd make him something to match her bangle. Artorias smiled back at her, a simple flash of his teeth to his girlfriend while he excitedly wondered what she'd make for him with the stones. He did love a Briar surprise though, so he vowed to leave her to her own devices until she presented him with whatever creative idea she came up with. "Thank you, my love. There's nothing I'd be happier to wear than something crafted by my talented girlfriend's own two paws." In a romantic gesture, Artorias lifted one of Briar's paws up to his muzzle, brushing the back of her paw with a ginger kiss. "Do you know how much I love you? How much you mean to me?" he asked, an obvious sweet flirtation, but also a touch of genuine inquiry in his words. Did Briar truly know just how irreplaceable she was in his life? How impossible it would be to continue on without her? How much she truly mattered to the obsidian and azure alpha?

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian"

Briar grinned as Artorias lifted her paw to kiss it in the gentlemanly, sweet manner he went about many things in his mannerisms. It was something so uniquely Artorias that she loved and cherished about him. The little things he did that she had never experienced or seen from anyone else were the things she enjoyed most about him, the little things that truly made him the Artorias she knew and loved. She looked up to his eyes that were as warm and golden as the gems and stones in the walls around them and she couldn't help but feel like this is exactly where she was supposed to be—right at his side after a long journey together, simply enjoying their time together while they enjoyed the beautiful landscape that had become the fruits of their labor. She was also excited for every other aspect of their lives together, but she was especially excited to make more memories like these as they continued on their lives together.

When he questioned her over whether she knew how much he loved her and how much she meant to him it felt easy enough to smile and lean forward to leave a sweet kiss on his lips as she replied, "Of course I do. I love you too." She knew it wasn't always that straightforward or simple as she struggled with her own internal battles with jealousy, self confidence, and self worth, but those were her own battles to wage with herself. It was nothing that he did. She could admit that his desires to be intimate with other wolves on occasion maybe fed into her own insecurities, but they were flaws she would have had to deal with either way. The time he spent with others was only the current outlet for it. He gave her no shortage of love and she never felt like she needed to question the validity of his words even if the voice in the back of her head that was trying to sabotage her sometimes liked to try and make her feel otherwise.

"Briar Fatalis"

Reaffirming his love to Briar wasn't something Artorias did because he felt obligated to, but because he genuinely and truly loved Briar with all his heart and soul. He wanted her to know, in all ways possible, how much she meant to him and how much he cared for her. When she said those words back to him, Artorias' tail began to wag faster behind him, gently bumping against her rump playfully in his show of joy and affection. He happily returned her kiss with a quiet murr as they snuggled together for a few moments longer. Artorias didn't know the full extend of Briar's battle with jealously and her self-esteem, though if he had, it would have been something he fought tooth and nail to battle with her. After losing her to those same issues the first time, the young wolf vowed to never lose her in the same way again. Briar was the most perfect, wonderful, loving, beautiful wolf. Artorias wished she could see herself the way he saw her.

After some time of snuggles and kisses in the hidden grotto of sparkling embers, Artorias gently nudged Briar and began to untangle himself from her. "C'mon, let's grab some of these gems and start making our way out." Giving his coat a shake, Artorias began to meander around the glistening cave, plucking some of the larger and brighter gems from the rocky walls where he could. They filled up the small satchel Briar had brought with them with vivid topazes, fire opals, orange sapphires, tourmalines, and citrines until the bag was nearly full. Then, with one last look around the glorious gemstone grotto, Artorias walked beside his Briar back out the way they came.

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian"