Time seems to be slipping through the young girl’s paws without her notice. At their pack meeting, Lucette had approached her with news of her son’s, Gavroche II’s, disappearance and Haydée had promised her sister that she would check in with the Hallows to see if they had any news about him as soon as she could. Yet, in the rush to go visit Boreas, bring Alexander home (which she had failed to do), and make it back to Ethne in one piece, the task kind of got lost in the shuffle.

Guilt drags her stomach down into her toes as she strolls across the stretch of beach that connects Ethne and the Hallows lands. A gentle breeze ruffles her fur and pulls the briny scent of the water into her nostrils with each breath she takes. The day is beautiful, bright, and calm so, with a soft sigh, she tries not to let the remorse she feels pull her down. Instead, she turns her mind to her intent to check in with Artorias about Gavroche and pay her mother a visit. Happiness begins to lift to her heart as she considers taking her mother out on a little picnic to enjoy this great day.

The grass waves its greeting to her as she pulls to a stop outside of the invisible border, respecting the Hallows lands by not crossing inside without permission. Taking a deep breath, Haydée tilts her head back and sings a call for Artorias, letting him know that she is here to visit her mother but also seeks to ask him a question. The afternoon sun shines brightly in the sky as the breeze carries her call into pack lands and excitement begins to thrum in time with her heartbeat.


"Haydée Kedieo"

Life in the Hallows was fairly peaceful and uneventful on the daily basis. With many of his wolves tending to their newest patient or going about routine chores, Artorias took some time to spend with his growing pups, teaching them and playing with them as often as he could. With the lovely summer weather, Auster was hot but dry, mild for the most part and pleasant in the evenings. It made for great days of play outside. The Aegis was playing a game of tag with his pups out in the gardens when the call from the southern beaches rang out for him. By now, Artorias had become familiar with the voices of Ethne's leadership and recognized Haydée's call immediately. More business talk, perhaps, or just checking up on her mother?

Leaving his kids to continue playing under the watchful gaze of Corbin and Eira, Art left Hearthstone and headed south to meet Haydée at his borders. He found the young girl waiting amongst the tall grasses of the plains, her earthen form just barely visible with how small she was. It still amused Artorias how tiny some wolves could get! Greeting Hay with a smile, Artorias waved her over the borders as he approached. He appreciated her courtesy of waiting for his invitation, but she was also very welcome in. "Good day, Haydée. I hope Ethne is doing well," he greeted her once they were within speaking range of one another. "Coming to pay your mom a visit?"

"Artorias" | "Carpathian"

The young leader is not left lingering at the Southern border long as the familiar sight of the tall Aegis soon greets her eyes. Tiny paws begin to dance as he smiles at her and the girl’s tail franticly begins to wag as he invites her over the invisible line which Haydée more than happily bounces happily over. Small body wiggles as she rushes to Artorias, head craning back so she can beam a smile up at him. His greeting is met with a dip of her head in thanks as the russet girl says, “We have been doing well, thank you sir. I decided to take a little trip up to Boreas to check in with some of the packs we are friendly with and that was fun.”

Haydée’s smile falters for a moment as the remembers the scary part of that visit but it regains its strength as he asks about her visiting her mother. Head nods vigorously in agreement, as she confirms that she is indeed, here to visit Bellamy but hesitates to turn toward the castle. Uncertainty ripples across her features as she tries to decide how to… present the delicate matter that her sister Lucette has given her. Summoning up her courage, the determined girl squares her shoulders and says, “I was also hoping to talk to you about something else.”

A brief pause as she collects her thoughts and explains, “My sister recently had her first litter and one of my nephews is… missing. Her, that is, my sister’s, companion found some of his feathers in the woods near here along with the scent of a Hallows wolf.” Hope flares in her youthful eyes as she enthusiastically asks, “Is there any chance that someone in the Hallows might have seen him? He is a tiny boy with a beautiful set of wings!” Big, round eyes stare up at the Aegis as she awaits to hear his verdict.  


"Haydée Kedieo"

The enthusiasm with which Haydée greeted him was infectious, and it soon had a giant smile of his own creeping across the Aegis' face. She was a young alpha—far too young to be bearing the burden she did—and in many ways she reminded Artorias of himself when he was her age. Perhaps it was that empathy that had him being so supportive of her efforts to keep her family and her pack together. She spoke to him politely and professionally, her maturity betraying her youthfulness. Bellamy should be very proud of her little girl. "Diplomacy is always a good use of time," he agreed, praising her efforts to get to know the other packs they would either be working with. Good friends made safer borders, after all.

Before either of them could begin to make their way toward Hearthstone so Haydée could visit her mother, the young girl hesitated in place and asked if she may speak to him about something. Artorias stopped mid-step and turned to give Hay his full attention. "Of course, Haydée. What's on your mind?" Haydée began to explain how her sister had a litter of pups recently, but before Art could congratulate the new aunt, she explained how one of the pups had gone missing. Alarm immediately raised on the Aegis' face. A lost pup in Auster was an exceedingly dangerous subject. But before Artorias could muster up his Knights for a full continent search, Haydée revealed why such an effort would not be needed. Her missing nephew was a tiny pup with a set of wings—the same kind of boy Dusk had recently brought home with her.

Recognition lit up in Artorias' eyes. "A small boy with wings, you say?" Art lifted his paw a few inches off the ground. "Is he about yay high, bright orange, black, and white fur, brilliant green eyes?" Dusk had brought him to the Hallows, he had been lost in the woods with no idea where home was, and Bellamy had filled him in on the rest as she cared for him during her stay here. He supposed he should have sent word to Ethne to let them know Gavroche had ended up in their care, but since he had been with Bellamy the thought had honestly slipped his mind. "Yes, we've been caring for little Gavroche since my daughter brought him back here. He was found alone in the Wraith's Woods. To be honest, I only recently found out who he is thanks to your mother. Poor lad didn't know the name of the pack he was from, what territory his home was in, or even his parents' names. Bellamy was the only way we managed to identify him." Artorias motioned with a tip of his head for Haydée to follow him to the castle. If she wished to bring Gavroche home with her, he would be happy to facilitate this reunion.

"Artorias" | "Carpathian"

Being in the presence of Artorias always brings up a complex mixture of emotions in Haydée, from gratitude for all his help to a feeling of being woefully unprepared as an alpha in the face of a truly wonderful one. The praise he offers is something that the young leader needs more than many might realize and relief flashes across her features for a brief moment. However, the girl’s happiness never falters, until she hesitates and brings up the more delicate subject of her missing nephew. Dread fills her stomach for a moment, weighing down as if she had swallowed a large chunk of metal.

However, when recognition lights up Artorias’ eyes, the girl’s heart flutters with hope. Nodding vigorously as the Aegis describes Gavroche II exactly, her front paws tap the ground in excitement. He goes on to explain about how they have been caring for him since his daughter brought him home and she lets out a sigh of relief, shoulders slumping down and inward as her head lowers and a huge weight suddenly dissipates. For a moment, the venerable, uncertain girl who had taken up the mantle of alpha to help her family is fully visible as her eyes close and she tries to steady her breathing.

If they had not seen Gav… well, Haydée hadn’t thought that far ahead.

Thankfully, Gavroche is here and there is no need for any further thought on that particular matter. Gathering herself back together, Haydée straightens up, attempting to regain the composer that seems to want to elude her and, when she opens her eyes, she is troubled to find the world is a little misty. Watery green gaze looks up to Artorias and her voice wobbles slightly as she says, “Thank you, sir. We have all been worried sick about him and his mother has been beside herself. Maybe, after I visit mom, he can home with me? And… can I meet your daughter who rescued him? I owe her so much.”

The smile that is offered quivers slightly because Hay knows that she could have saved Lucette a lot of heartache if she had prioritized the Hallows over visiting packs in Boreas. She still has so much to learn.


"Haydée Kedieo"

The instantaneous relief in Haydée's posture is palpable as Artorias confirms that her missing nephew is in fact being harbored in the Hallows. She breathes a sigh of relief and Artorias just chuckles. He was all too familiar with the incredible relief that a missing family member coming home felt like. Haydée looked up at him with misting eyes and thanked him profusely, all which Art simply nodded his head and waved a paw. "There's no need to thank me. We were just doing what we do best: caring for a lost soul. Gavroche is a sweetheart, and he's been a welcome guest in our home. My daughter especially is very fond of him." Ah, poor Dusk would probably not be too happy to hear that her new best friend had to go home now, but alas, they could not keep the child away from his own family. Hay asked about bringing Gav home with her, and Art nodded his head in reply. "Of course. He's your wolf, after all. Bellamy has also made tremendous strides in her own recovery. I imagine she'll be fit to return home soon enough as well."

Artorias began to lead the way down towards Hearthstone so they could collect Gavroche and Haydée could meet with Bellamy. The grieving woman had made such incredible progress in her emotional and mental recovery with Laeta, it was inspiring to see her rise back up again. Maybe she would never be exactly the same, and maybe she would never reclaim her position as alpha, but Bellamy would be able to live for herself and her family again. Hay asked about meeting with Dusk to thank her for rescuing Gavroche and Artorias... he balked a bit at the idea. He knew Dusk would not be happy to be saying goodbye to Gavroche, but he also didn't want to deny Haydée her request to offer her gratitude. "Let's see how they take the news about Gavroche's departure first," he suggested. Better to play it by ear. If both wolves were beside themselves to be separated, now might not be the best time to give thanks.

Entering the castle, Artorias led the way to the guest room that Bellamy and Gavroche had been sharing. He rapped a paw against the doorframe to announce their presence, then stepped aside to allow Haydée access to the room to see her family, a gentle smile on his face all the while.

"Artorias" | "Carpathian"