Once things had stabilised enough in the Armada to spare him, he made provisions for his journey. Leaving wolves he trusted in charge of the Armada. No one was in danger, and he had hunted enough predators and prey to last the pack a few weeks. It was time he spoke to the Hallows, and did as Resin had commanded of him - ask his allies for help.

He gave one last, reluctant look back at the Armada. He knew he would worry for them, but they needed this. He made the long journey down to the Hollows as quickly as he could, keeping his camps and sleep short, and his days long. He arrived at last at the pack of his son in law and daughter, and stopped at the border. He raised his head, and he called out to Artorias, Briar as well. She would likely want to hear news about her family.


"Speech"

Artorias stood just behind Briar in the center of the dojo's arena, observing her form and watching her movements as she trained with her new dagger. Briar was an intelligent wolf and it hadn't taken her long to get down the basics of armed combat, not that the Aegis expected any less from his brilliant mate, but he was proud of her all the same. "Excellent! Remember to keep your paws moving. Don't post up in one spot," he reminded her as she struck out at the training dummy that was cut and lacerated in random spots from the sharp Carpathian steel blade. Their training session was suddenly interrupted by a familiar voice calling for the Aegis and Queen from outside of Hearthstone, catching Artorias' attention with perked ears. Sirius Fatalis was back. Odd, but not wholly unexpected since the Warlord did enjoy dropping by every so often just to check in on them.

Artorias lifted his muzzle and issued a short welcoming call back to Seer, inviting him into the Hallows and up to the castle. Their family was always welcome in their home, though he did appreciate Sirius' respectfulness to seek entry before just barging in. "Looks like we'll have to pause this for a moment, my love. Let's go see what your dad wants." Waiting for Briar to join him so the two wolves could walk out and meet the Fatalis patriarch together in the courtyard, Art walked alongside his wife in lockstep, striding out into the warm summer day and down into the flowering gardens. Hearthstone's courtyard was alive with vibrant plant life, lush grasses, fragrant flowers, and sweet honeysuckle climbing the stone walls. The iconic purple wisteria trees were all in bloom as well, bringing bursts of colorful life to the castle.

Artorias waited with Briar for Sirius to enter through the castle gates, then approached his father-in-law with a smile. "Welcome back, Seer! Didn't think I'd be seeing you again quite to soon," he greeted the elder wolf, moving to embrace him with one arm in a familial gesture.

"Artorias Carpathius"

Briar gave Art a bit of a grin around the grip of her dagger as he praised her work, her braided tail wagging gently behind her. She had never pictured herself wielding a blade like her husband did, but this shorter weapon was turning out to be just her speed and it was reminding her of the enjoyment that could be had in training and fighting. She had lost sight of that for so long, relegating fighting purely just to self defense, but Art was always so good at bringing a lightness to things like this. Just as she was about to put his note about keeping her paws moving into action, she stopped mid swing at the sound of her father's familiar voice ringing out to them from the border, lifting her head a bit to listen. Her father's visits were never unwelcome even if they were occasionally unexpected.

Looking to Artorias as he called back to her father and mentioned that their training would have to pause for now, she nodded and slipped her dagger back into the sheath she wore around her foreleg. She briefly considered putting the weapon away quickly before they went to meet Sirius, but decided this would be a great opportunity to show off the incredibly thoughtful gift from her sweet husband. She walked along side of him as they made their way out to the courtyard to wait on her dad to join them. Soon enough his dark figure strode through the castle gates and she gave him a warm grin, hurrying up to her father to press a kiss to his cheek. "It's good to see you again, dad," she told him, stepping back a bit so Artorias could do his greetings and welcomes. With their hellos out of the way, she gave her father a curious look with a tilt of her head. "What brings you down our way? Just a visit or is something going on?"

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"

A howl sounded in the distance, an answer to his own. He didn’t intend to linger long, despite the long journey here. Already he was anxious to head back to the Armada and ensure everyone was doing okay. He pushed further into the territory, his steps light as he made his way to the castle, where the much younger Alpha’s greeted him. They had come a long way from the children he still remembered, and had a long life yet ahead of them. Perhaps the disaster was making him melancholic, but he was feeling his years.

He returned Art and Briar’s affectionate greetings, and gave a pointed look to the dagger around his daughters foreleg, his eyes raising in surprise. It was in a similar fashion to his own, though his blade was hidden within his bracer when he wasn’t fighting. “That’s new” He said, his expression almost flicking to a smile, but he couldn’t quite form it. Briar’s next words brought him to why he was there. “Something has happened. A flash flood ran through the Col. There have been some worrisome injuries, and two deaths. Your siblings survived” He said quickly, glancing over to Briar again. “We lost Ruga and Keahi. I'm sorry.” He said, knowing the couple knew Ruga - they had used his skills to craft before, and they knew Keahi. She had been his diploma. His friend. His expression rippled before he controlled it again. “I know this is an unexpected ask, but if you could spare some supplies and a healer, I would be forever grateful.” The Warlord did not like to ask help for others, even now, in his old age. But wisdom told him he must.

"Speech"

Sirius returned their affectionate greetings, although Artorias couldn’t help but notice a slight edge to the Warlord’s demeanor, as if something was nagging at him inside his brain. He didn’t make mention of it, knowing that with Sirius he would likely lay bare whatever was bothering him in time. The elder alpha took note of Briar’s new weapon and Art followed Seer’s gaze down to the dagger strapped to his wife’s foreleg with a proud smile. He allowed Briar to explain it first if she desired, since it was her gift, before adding in, "It felt high time to give my Queen a family heirloom of her own." He turned that proud, loving smile to Briar as he gazed at her with nothing short of pure love. It only felt right for the matriarch of the Carpathius family to carry some of their special steel as well.

The next words that are out of Seer’s mouth though stole away that happy smile from the Aegis’ face. Artorias’ attention snapped to his father-in-law in a blink, alarm and concern painting his visage and furrowing his brow with worry. A flood had struck the Armada?! Before Artorias could voice any questions, Seer was already answering the unspoken queries in his mind. Two casualties—two wolves had lost their lives in the disaster. Artorias felt his heart sink, his expression falling as he looked to Briar in a moment of panic. His first concern was that it had been Briar's family, but Sirius thankfully reassured them all the Fatalises were fine. That allowed Artorias to breathe a momentary sigh of relief, though that was only short lived as the Warlord gave them the names of the deceased. Ruga and Keahi. Again the Aegis' expression dropped, a pain in his eyes as he thought of the red-coated blacksmith he had come to know well in their many business dealings, and of Keahi who he knew less well but had known her for her sweet disposition. "Gods... I'm so sorry, Sirius..." Gods be damned... Any loss of life was a tragedy, but Ruga especially... He had been the only wolf Art knew who could work with his family's special steel. With him gone, those weapons now suddenly felt infinitely more precious.

From how Seer worded it, it sounded like the Armada’s supplies had been hit the worst, and with it being the start of winter in north Boreas, that did not bode well for the pack. There was no hesitation in Artorias’ nod acknowledging Sirius’ request. "Of course, Seer. We have an abundance of preserved fish and fresh fruits thanks to the wet spring, and Briar has been making a surplus of wool blankets with the pups. I’d also be happy to send Gwynevere up with you with some medicines to help tend to the sick and injured. Whatever you need, if we can spare it, you’re welcome to it." Artorias knew this was no small matter for a wolf as proud as Sirius Fatalis to come asking for help; that’s what told him the Armada’s situation was serious. Of course they would do all that they could to aid their allies. Sirius and the Fatalis family were kin, and the Hallows always looked after their own.

"Artorias Carpathius"

When her father took note of the dagger she was carrying it, commenting on its newness, she smiled proudly and nodded. "Artorias surprised me with it for our anniversary. It's made from the same Carpathian steel as his sword," she explained, leaning her head down to pull it free from it's scabbard for a moment so her father could see the slightly blue steel in the sunlight and the fire opal inlayed into the hilt. As Artorias added that it had been high time that she have her own family heirloom, she gave him a loving glance before she put away her dagger and refocused on the sudden visit from her father. It was obvious something was on his mind, but she truely couldn't remember the last time she had seen him fully at ease so she couldn't immediately tell if something was genuinely wrong or if it was just his usual, general stress.

It turned out to unfortunately be the latter as he revealed that the Col had been hit with a flash flood. Her smile immediately dropped from her lips as worry creased her brow–especially when he revealed that there had been several injuries and two deaths. So many of her siblings still lived in the Armada so of course she immediately began to worry that the deaths might have been them, but her father luckily dashed that fear before it could really take hold. She was able to relax a bit at that, but the next bit of news was nearly as difficult to hear. She and Artorias had become quite fond of Keahi and Ruga both from their various visits and all of the work that Ruga had done for them over the years with their weapons and the large table that now dominated the castle's meeting room. "That's terrible... I'm so sorry, dad..." she said softly on the heels of Artorias' condolences for the Armada's loss. The slip in his expression was brief, but she still noticed and she leaned forward to gently nose his cheek again in a bit of encouragement.

Her father's request for supplies and a healer was expected and she was quick to nod in agreement while Artorias offered the preserved food from their stores, the blankets that she had been working on with the pups, and the assistance of Gwynevere. "We're always here when you need us, dad," she insisted, giving him a small smile. She knew that if anything ever happened here he would be the first one at their door to help as well so their help was never one sided. "I can come up for a bit as well if it will help. The pups are old enough now to be without me for a few days."

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"