Corbie and Ren trotted companionably side by side as they finally made their way to one of the other remaining packs that had supported Kotori's bid for the pack that she had ultimately laid claim to. She had begun this journey some time ago but had gotten distracted by the mysterious happenings and had failed to complete her task. Now that autumn had come for real and things had calmed down, she and her companions had set out again. Coming up to the border, she considered it, then raised her muzzle to call for the pack's alpha. She didn't know this alpha on a personal level, but given Azure Fatalis' neutrality towards her despite his brother's loss to her challenge, she was less wary than she'd have been if she had not visited Armada first of Kotori's supporters. She set her packs beside her for freer movement if needed, though, but did not open them. She'd brought samples in them. Tanned lambskins, sheepskins, mead. They'd stay in the pack, hidden, unless she judged it suitable to offer them.

Fatherhood was proving to be quite the endeavor for Artorias. His children had boundless amounts of energy at all times and kept him on his toes with their antics and adventures. Still, he somehow found the time and energy amongst the five furious fuzzballs to do everything expected of him as Aegis. One of those things included meeting visitors from other packs when they came to call. Such a voice summoned him from his borders, drawing the alpha's attention away from the puppy pile all wrestling out in the blooming spring gardens. He tasked one of his patrolling Knights to keep an eye on the little lords and ladies while he headed off to tend to official pack business, sliding smoothly out through the castle gates and across lush verdant fields to entreat with their guest.

The wolf Artorias found waiting for him at the border was one from a memory—the wolf that had challenged his brother-in-law Kotori for the fallen Abaven some time ago. He could not recall her using her name at the challenge, but he knew of her regardless. Curiosity painted the wolf's features as he approached the visitor. "Good day to you, Miss. Welcome to the Hallows," he greeted the stranger in a friendly enough manner, dipping his head in a welcoming nod. "How fares your pack? All well, I hope." It seemed that more and more packs were suffering strife and falling, it seemed. Artorias hoped that this was not another case. Small talk aside, Artorias left the air open for the wolf to introduce herself and state her business with him. As a fellow alpha, he presumed this would be a matter of diplomacy.

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Eira" | "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.
____________________

Corbie nodded a polite greeting in return. "Good day. I am Corbie Silverwind, alpha of Avalon. We are doing quite well, thank you." Though the work to set everything up kept them often too busy to be doing much else, she was happy with how the pack was developing, and soon enough the work would slow and they would be able to prosper, and out themselves more thoroughly into the world again. "I was not familiar with very many of the packs around when I raised Avalon, so I thought I would take some time to change that now that the recent oddities have faded. I was hoping you might be able to tell me a little about your pack?"

The stranger introduced herself as Corbie Silverwind—he thought he had heard someone shout her name amidst the crowd during the Abaven challenge—and explained her reasons for her appearance at his borders. Now that the oddities of the supernatural autumn had come to pass, she was out doing the diplomatic venture all new alphas had to make sooner or later of meeting their peers within the other packs of the world. Artorias nodded his head in understanding; he had made the same pilgrimage himself once upon a time as well. "Well, we certainly welcome your presence, Alpha Corbie," he replied with a welcoming smile. He may not have backed her claim during the pack challenge, but the fates had decided that her claim was more fitting of Abaven's legacy than Kotori's long ago now, and it was water under the bridge as far as he was concerned. "It would be my pleasure to tell you more about the Hallows. Would you care to take a walk with me? We can see some of the lands while I try to answer any curiosities you have."

Artorias gestured with a wave of one giant sapphire blue paw for the smaller wolf to follow him. He hated just sitting around and talking, and at least if their feet were moving the conversation would maybe feel a bit more natural. Plus it allowed him to show off some of the grandeur of the Hallows lands to his fellow alpha. "The Hallows is a sanctuary pack founded by my mothers as a way to offer shelter and refuge to those in need," the dire man proceeded to explain, casting his fiery eyes out across the sunlit plains that surrounded his castle home. "We offer protection and medical services to any who come in peace and amity. It is because of these tenets that we do our best to remain neutral ground, open for all." Artorias paused as he mulled over the circumstances of the world and how things had turned out in most recent seasons. "...That seems to be becoming more and more difficult to maintain with current events." After the hostile destruction of Habari and the imprisonment of Recluse's family, it was fats becoming a challenge to not draw lines in the sand or find himself forced to pick sides between his friends and allies and those that openly opposed them. He looked to Corbie, a brow raised in curiosity. "What of Avalon? What rose from the ashes of Abaven?"

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Eira" | "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.
____________________

The other alpha invited her to walk with him, and though Corbie hadn't expected a tour she stood and nodded her acceptance, following along as he led. He began to speak about his pack, about their neutrality and the services they provided. Privately she couldn't see how they could be neutral when they seemed to have been supporting Kotori in the challenge, but she was willing to entertain the idea that she had misunderstood the situation and the alliances that had seemed to exist there. "Avalon, too, is intended to be politically neutral," she said instead. "A place of learning, trade, and stewardship of the lands that support us. We are primarily agricultural in nature, and produce what we need to support ourselves in that manner. We specialize in wool products and honey products, but our location has allowed us to begin to experiment with adding to our capabilities."

Corbie was quiet and respectful while Artorias spoke, and so he offered her the same courtesy in return while she explained the premise of her pack. Avalon as it was named was intended to be politically neutral—though Artorias did not know how neutral a pack could remain when their origin came from fighting against the family of a well-known pack and declaring the Fatalises to be warmongers. It seemed Corbie had begun her pack's journey by making enemies, though that was not of Artorias' concern. The Hallows had close ties to the Armada, and the Carpathians to the Fatalises, but he would not let that prevent him from making his own assessments of his fellow alphas. So far, Corbie had been nothing but polite and cordial with him.

Artorias raised his brows in interest as the smaller alpha told him of her pack's main products. "Ah, so you raise sheep!" he deduced. It made sense; central Boreas was great ranching territory. "We raise alpacas for their fleece ourselves, and we cultivate grapes from the nearby Grapevine Cathedral to produce wine. If you and your pack partake, I'd be glad to send you home with a few bottles as samples to share and enjoy." Perhaps there would be the opportunity to start a trading relationship between Avalon and the Hallows. Art looked to Corbie with a curious tilt to his head. "What made you decide to establish Avalon, Lady Silverwind?" There were a number of reasons a wolf wanted to be an alpha. Power, reputation, aspiration... What were Corbie's reasons behind Avalon and its values, he wondered?

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Eira" | "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.
____________________

Corbie blinked at "Lady Silverwind", and shook her head gently. "Just Corbie, please. I am far from royalty." But his mention of sending her with bottles of wine had decided her, and she turned to pull her packs forward. "I would appreciate the chance to try your wines," she said. She rarely partook of alcohol herself in much quantity, despite making it herself, but she could certainly appreciate the flavor of a fine beverage when she did, and grapes were not as common in the orchard as other fruits so she did not get a large enough quantity for a true wine so it would be a novelty. "But please, I'd ask you accept these in exchange, so you are not put out by the loss of any of your stores." She dipped her muzzle into the pack to pull out a few stoneware jugs of mead, carefully bundled in the sheepskins to keep them safe. Contemplating his question had her tilting her head thoughtfully to study him. "I spent much of my life alone, or with only one other," she explained slowly. "When I began to truly explore the world, I saw the potential for community and fellowship that I had never realized I was missing. I saw the opportunity to help those who needed it, and to give a home to others seeking the same thing. None of the existing packs suited me, or my vision for the community I wished to grow, so I chose to make it."

Corbie gently rebuked his addressing her as a "Lady" and Artorias tipped his head in silent apology. "As you wish, Corbie. I prefer to simply go by Artorias myself." Despite many looking to his family as sovereigns, the Carpathius family had grown from the ground up here in Auster, no more noble than anyone else in the Hallows. When Corbie graciously accepted his offer of a sampling of wines, Artorias couldn’t help but smile. Briar would be so pleased that potential new friends were getting to try her hard work! His offer was met with a show of generosity from Corbie in turn, and the new alpha reached into her pack to provide the Aegis with a sampling of Avalon’s homemade mead and sheepskins from their herd. "Thank you, Corbie! We'll be sure to make good use of your kind gifts," he replied with a delighted smile. "Mead is not something we've taken a stab at yet, and if our wines are to your taste, I think we might have a lucrative trade partnership in our future." It was really no tremendous outputting to give some of what they had plenty of, but he would not refuse the gifts given to him by his peer.

His inquiry into the inspiration behind Avalon was met with a personal story from Corbie's life, and it had the effect Artorias had hoped for. He got to see a little into the machinations of the woman's mind, learn some of her past and what made her who she was, what ambitions drove her and what morals guided her. It was a noble intention she had to offer a home to the homeless that felt they didn't belong in any one place. Artorias nodded his head in understanding while he listened to Corbie speak, paying all of his attention to the monochrome wolf. "Then may Avalon be that community to many others, and may it be everything you hope it to be." Artorias turned another gentle smile down to the smaller woman at his side. "I'm sure Avalon will thrive entirely on its own, but should you or your wolves ever need assistance from the Hallows, medical or otherwise, please know that you and your pack are welcomed here." He knew that it would be easy for Avalon to see the Hallows aligned with the Armada and Valta by blood and marriage, but Artorias had never deemed nepotism as a favorable choice when it came to diplomacy. Above all else, he strived to maintain his mother's carefully crafted stance of neutrality where he could. Friends would be made and families expanded by nature, but the Hallows would always remain an even playing field so long as the players behaved with mutual respect and amicability.

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Eira" | "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.
____________________

Corbie couldn't help but smile at his evident delight with her own reciprocal gifts. "I'm glad to hear it," she said simply. While Avalon could indeed get along quite well just from their own goods, it had been Corbie's intention to build a community and a family, not simply an insular cult hidden away from the world, and it would be best achieved through trade. "We do have a master healer among our numbers, but I admit your offer puts my mind at ease while we grow and train new members. We mostly specialize elsewhere at the moment." Indeed, if Alarr were badly injured they'd be hard pressed to help him - she herself had only the basics of healing, and that bit mostly focused towards her livestock. "Likewise, if you or your wolves are interested in learning unusual crafts, or you are looking to foster children somewhere unfamiliar to see more of the world, Avalon's doors are open to all."