Always determined to be a father first and an alpha second, Artorias had dedicated most of his time following the birth of his second litter with those rambunctious new puppies, making memories and playing and teaching them. No longer the green parents they had been the first time around, he and Briar slid right back into the role of puppy parents without missing a beat. They knew what to mostly expect and what lessons they had taken away from their first litter, and one thing Artorias wanted to continue to maintain was his family-oriented focus. That meant prioritizing his time with his new pups and his family as a whole.

Today, the sapphire blue dire wolf was making his rounds around the castle, looking to see what adventures his children were getting into today and if he could be a part of them. Roaming around outside into the dreary winter day, Art spotted a familiar black and tan form lingering around the greenhouse just outside the castle walls. With a curious tilt to his head, Artorias approached his youngest son, a little amused smile on his lips. "Trying to break in and see the plants, Solaire?" he teased his son playfully, coming up behind the little fuzzball that was an almost perfect blend of himself and Briar and nuzzling the top of the boy’s head.

"Artorias" | "Carpathian"

Solaire climbed up the wall of the green house till he was standing on just his back paws with his front paws holding onto the stone layer of the wall that gave way to a solid pane of glass, peeking in at the flourishing plants that were hidden inside. His turquoise eyes were wide with wonder as he looked at them all through the slightly foggy and water-dotted glass. The gardens outside of the greenhouse were pretty full of plants and flowers too, but there were so many in there that he hadn't seen yet! He was already trying to work out how he could get in there, glancing over to the door with a handle that was far too high for him to reach, when his father's presence behind him caught him by surprise and made him hop back with a little squeak. He spun around to face his father, turning his wide-eyed gaze up toward his familiar face with a slightly guilty grin. "Maaaaaybe," he admitted, giggling softly when his dad leaned down to nuzzle his head. "There's so many plants in there, dad!" Turning back to where he had been peeking in moments before, he climbed back up and looked back through the glass with his tail wagging behind him. "How'd they all get in there? Why is there so many different kinds? The rain can't get in there, can it? Plants need rain, don't they? That's what mom said!"

"Solaire Carpathius"

Upon hearing his voice, Solaire spun around with a wide-eyed, stunned expression on his face like he'd just been caught with his paw in the cookie jar. Artorias turned a suspicious raised brow to his son, but smiled back to the boy's guilty grin as he only half confessed to trying to sneak into the greenhouse. Of course it was no surprise to Artorias; his blue and tan son had shown a fascination with all things botanical from the first moment he'd set foot out in the gardens. Solaire's excited exclamation about how many plants were in the greenhouse sparked a humored laugh from his sire, who simply glanced up through the glass to the veritable jungle of foliage that his sister and other pack mates had cultivated over the years within. "There are indeed, Sol! Your Aunt Gwyn spared no expense when it came to making her pride and joy," he explained. Solaire's next questions were both easy and difficult for the Aegis to answer—mostly because he knew only a barely passable amount about the specifics of plants to be of any use. Still, that wouldn't stop the father from trying to answer his son's inquiries.

Stepping up behind Solaire, Artorias leaned down and carefully scruffed the pup, hoisting his large son up and setting him on his back between his shoulders so he could lift Solaire up and give him a better view inside the greenhouse. "All those plants were either planted in there as seeds or were transplanted by your aunt for the most part. Many others in the pack have helped upkeep the greenhouse, but for the most part, this has been Gwynevere's doing." Walking with Solaire on his back, Artorias casually strode over towards the greenhouse door, moving as if he was simply circling the structure so he wouldn't tip off the surprise to Solaire. "Your aunt would be a better wolf to answer why there are so many different kinds. I know that many of them serve different purposes, like making all sorts of medicines, and some of the flowers are simply beautiful and smell nice. As for getting them rain, would you like me to show you?" Walking up to the door, Artorias pulled on the latch and opened the glass door, releasing the scent of loamy soil and fresh vegetation from within. Art lowered his body to the ground for his pup to disembark and grinned over his shoulder at Solaire, knowing the boy would be unable to resist exploring inside the great glass box.

"Artorias" | "Carpathian"

Solaire yelped softly with surprise when he felt his father grasp his scruff and suddenly his paws were no longer on the ground. For a moment he was in the air, hanging from his dad's jaws, before he was soon placed on his dad's shoulders with a much higher vantage point that he had before. Grinning excitedly, Solaire quickly turned to face the greenhouse once more, positioning himself on his father's shoulders and the back of his neck so that he could look over his dad's head at the plants inside. From up here the glass was a little clearer and less foggy so the jungle of leaves was much easier to see and he 'ooo'ed at the countless shapes and colors of them all.

He listened with rapt interest as his dad explained how his aunt Gwynevere had been the one to grow or move most of the plants into the greenhouse. Of course he knew Aunt Gwyn was usually the one in and out of here most of the time and how she was almost always in the infirmary, but to think that she made all these plants appear in here was awesome! He held onto his dad with his forelegs around his neck, his turquoise eyes trailed on the plants inside as he tried to look at every single one for this little stint on his dad's back. He was trying to remember the shape of them all and what color they were so maybe he could pester his aunt later and get her to tell him what all of them were, especially since his dad didn't really know what they were or why there was so many different ones.

Solaire didn't fully grasp his dad asking if he wanted to be shown how they get their rain until his dad suddenly reached up to unlatch the door to the glass house. He gasped excitedly, his tail wagging wildly behind him as he replied, "Yeah! Yeah, I wanna see!" The second his dad got down low enough that he could hop off without getting hurt in the process, Solaire jumped to the ground–only to tumble over his own paws in the process. That didn't slow him down at all though as he rolled through the green house entryway and landed back on his paws with a quick shake. He looked up at the plants that were all around him with wide eyes and a huge grin. "It's so warm in here!" he noticed immediately, noting how it was suddenly noticeably warmer and more humid than it was just outside the door.

"Solaire Carpathius"

Solaire’s enthusiasm and zeal for all things botanical brought a huge beaming grin to Artorias’ face while he paraded his boy around on his back. But nothing compared to watching his son go tumbling head over paws in his hurry to get inside the greenhouse for a better look at the plants. If this had been his first litter, the anxious father would have been immediately checking his boy for any injuries and making sure he was okay, but he had long since learned how bouncy and resilient puppies were, so once Solaire was up and moving again he knew the lad would be fine. When Sol made mention of the temperature difference inside the greenhouse from the cool winter air outside, Artorias chuckled and nodded. "You’re 100% right, Solaire! It’s warmer in here to keep the plants safe from the cold so they can grow and thrive," he explained as they began to walk down the rows of lush vegetation as if they were in a rainforest and not the castle grounds.

Stepping over to a half full watering can beside one of the rows of plants, Artorias lifted the metal can up in his jaws and carried it over to Solaire, setting it down beside the curious pup with a slosh of the water within. "This is how we keep the plants watered. We fill this can with water from our wells or the nearby streams and then we drizzle it over the plants like rain." Artorias lifted the can in his jaws once more and demonstrated to Solaire how to water the plants, as with a tip of his head to point the spout towards the roots and stalks of the plants, water began to cascade out like rain across the soil. After doing this to a few of the plants, Art set the can back down, not wanting to ruin Gwyn’s meticulously maintained watering schedule. "When you get bigger, you can help keep the plants from getting thirsty too if you’d like. I’m sure Aunt Gwyn would be very thankful for your help!" Looking down at his very young son, it was hard for Artorias to imagine him as a full-grown wolf one day, but he knew the time would come. Picturing his sweet Solaire traipsing up and down the rows of plants, watering can in his jaws, it brought a swell of pride to the sire's heart.

"Artorias" | "Carpathian"

"Ohhhh..." he hummed with interest as his father explained the purpose behind the warmth inside of the green house. He did know that plants liked being in the sun and the sun was warm so that made sense to him! Solaire's attention was pulled away from a particularly leafy and big plant that was near the end of the row he was examining as he watched his father walk toward what looked like a metal bucket that had tube with a weird looking head coming out the side. He turned toward the can curiously as it was placed down beside him and peeked over the top lip of it to where the water was sloshing around inside. All the pieces of his questions came together as he learned about how they filled these cans with water to bring the water to the plants since the rain couldn't reach them like the plants outside.

He climbed up on the edge of the flower bed as his dad picked up the watering can again and watched how the end of the tube that was round and full of holes ended up scattering the water into drops that looked just like rain all over the dirt around the stalks. "That's awesome!" he exclaimed with an excited hop, his tail wagging wildly behind him. The plants still got the rain they liked while getting to stay nice and warm in here! Plus, the glass let in all kinds of sunlight so he wondered if the plants even realized that they weren't outside! He looked up at his dad as he finished watering a few of the plants and nodded eagerly at the idea of helping his Aunt Gwyn with watering and caring for the plants. "Okay!" That sounded like a ton of fun. He couldn't wait till he was as tall as his dad so he could pick up the watering can since it was taller than he was right now.

"Solaire Carpathius"

An amused hum of a chuckle rumbled deep within Artorias' chest as he watched Solaire roam and explore the greenhouse like the boy had just been let loose in a candy store. There was something magical about watching the innocence of a child exploring something they were passionate about. Already Artorias could tell his boy would become the next Gwynevere, likely destined to be the Hallows' future generation of physicians. So long as Solaire was happy and healthy, that was all the sire could ask the gods for. Lifting a giant blue paw to rub his son's head and ruffle his feathery puppy fur, Artorias grinned from ear to ear. "I'll be sure to let her know she's got a future apprentice in the making," he teased his son, though there was a genuineness to his words. He'd talk to his sister about taking Solaire on as her understudy so that one day, whenever his children grew old enough to take on their places in the Hallows, he would be ready. "Go ahead, Sol. Roam to your heart's content! When you're ready to go, just let me know."

"Artorias" | "Carpathian"