Solaire hummed softly to himself around the handle of the basket he was carrying, a couple gardening tools occasionally rolling about inside the basket. While he wasn't quite as good at gardening yet as his aunt Gwyn was, he had been following her around ever since the first time his dad had shown him the inside of the greenhouse so he had learned a lot about how to care for plants and keep them healthy! His aunt was very particular about the important herbs that she grew within the greenhouse so he wasn't allowed to prune and take care of them on his own just yet, but he had been assigned the near by pumpkin patch as his own personal project now that he was big enough to at least roll the round, heavy squashes. Well, most of them anyway. There were some that were absolutely massive and those ones he had to get some help with, but they seemed to be pretty hard to move for even his dad so he didn't feel too bad about it.

Today he just wanted to trim back some of the old vines that hadn't flowered and weren't growing new pumpkins. An easy task for sure! However, as he got closer he noticed a sound that he had never heard before and he stopped humming so he could listen more closely. It was almost like... crunching? Was that crunching? Hurrying toward the unusual sound, he rounded one of the bigger pumpkins in the patch and came skidding to a stop when he found the culprit–an animal that looked kind of like a huge cross between a beaver and a rat, but it didn't have tail from what he could see and it's face was tall with a flat snout. Its paws were kind of like a raccoon's with the way its toes were long enough to grip the edge of the hole it had made in the pumpkin that it was currently devouring. Solaire dropped the basket, blinking and wide eyed with surprise. His presence hadn't been enough to disrupt the eating rodent, but the clatter of the basket was at least enough to earn him a slow side eye before the garden intruder went back to what he was doing as if the young wolf wasn't even there. "Whooooooah...." he said softly with awe and intrigue, sitting back on his haunches with a grin to watch the unusual creature for a bit.

"Solaire Carpathius"

Artorias was on his way back toward Hearthstone at the end of his morning patrol, already looking forward to the warmth of the castle's halls and many fireplaces to chase away the chill of the autumn morning air. Summer had ended and the cooler seasons were now in full swing, the breeze coming from the neighboring ocean growing colder with every passing day. The leaves of the trees had begun to change color and the flowers in the gardens were starting to recede in preparation for a winter hibernation. That meant the pumpkin patch would soon have to be harvested. But that was young Solaire's duty this year. Artorias was eager to see how his son, who had grown so very fond of the plants and crops of the pack, would manage in his first real responsibility. His boy was growing bigger by the week, almost meeting Artorias' eye level and it was clear he would easily grow to his sire's massive size before he had reached adulthood.

Still, despite Sol's growth spurts, Artorias knew that harvesting some of the larger pumpkins was no small feat. So, as he came up to the outskirts of Hearthstone, Art diverted his path from the gatehouse over to the pumpkin patch to see how Solaire was getting along and if he needed any help. Paws crunching over the dew-covered grasses, the Aegis' fiery gaze soon landed on the form of his son... just sitting at the edge of the pumpkin patch, staring at something. A curious tilt cocked Artorias' head as he drew closer. What had his son so transfixed like that? The answer came to him in the form of a loud crunch of a gourd being split open. Art's eyes snapped up to find the massive rodent sitting in the center of the garden, pumpkin viscera and husk still clinging to its snout as it chowed down on a pumpkin. Several things happened simultaneously then. Art's eyes went to the rodent, then to the half-eaten pumpkin, then to the gaps in the patch where other pumpkins had been eaten, then to Solaire who was watching the culprit with fascination. How long had the animal been at this, and how long had Solaire been watching it?!

Stepping up behind his son, Artorias cleared his throat and stared down at the boy with a raised brow. "Hey, Sol... Uh, whatcha doing, kiddo?"

"Artorias" | "Carpathian"

Solaire reached forward after a few long moments of watching this... rodent? Was that the right word for him? He didn't even know what to call it, but after long enough that if it was going to run off or attack him it would have already, Solaire reached a paw forward and nudged it's shoulder, making the pumpkin eating creature sway a bit in the process. It hardly missed a beat and just glanced at him with a completely disinterested stare, continuing to munch on the gourd in front of it. Solaire grinned and chuckled at the weird, but seemingly peaceful animal that had invaded their pumpkin patch, his tail wagging behind him. "You really like pumpkins, huh? So do I!"

At some point during his one sided conversation his father appeared behind him, making him jump a little bit with surprise when he cleared his throat. Sol glanced back at his dad with a wide grin, replying, "Oh, hey, dad! I just came out here to trim some vines, but then I found this little guy! Well, I mean, not really little, but littler than me, I guess." Looking back at the pumpkin-eating rodent, it seemed that two wolves was enough for a longer look from his new acquaintance, but it certainly didn't stop his munching. "Look how cool he is! I've never seen anything like him! Do you know what he is, dad? He's really chill!"

"Solaire Carpathius"

Solaire jumped with a start and the pumpkin-munching rodent paused its feast to stare at the two wolves for a few long moments. Artorias eyed both his son and the strange rat creature with suspicion and confusion while Solaire explained how he'd come to tend to the pumpkin patch and found the herbivorous animal chowing down on their pumpkins. Sol described the animal as "cool" which raised Art's brow even higher, but still the Aegis didn't respond right away, looking back up at the capybara like it was some alien from another planet. "I haven't the foggiest idea of what that thing is, Solaire," admitted the confused father, tilting his head to and fro while he studied the capybara with far less interest than Solaire was giving it. Regardless of what it was, it was still a vermin and was eating their crops and would need to be dealt with. "But we can ask your uncle after I've killed it." If anyone would know what prey animal this was, it was Rudy.

Stepping around Solaire, Artorias grasped the hilt of Embershard from over his shoulder and drew his blade. The sliding of steel against the leather scabbard drew the attention of the capybara, but clearly not its concern, as it continued to stare at the dire wolf with a mixture of apathy and single-minded hunger while it chewed and chewed. Artorias stepped into the patch, carefully stepping over the thick vines on the ground while making his way toward the rodent, intent on dispatching it quickly before it could do any more damage to their crops.

"Artorias" | "Carpathian"

Solaire was only mildly disappointed that his father didn't know what kind of creature this guy was. In the end he supposed it didn't really matter what he was. In fact, maybe that made him more cool! That made him mysterious and unique! He was distracted enough by that train of thought that he didn't fully process was his dad told him next at first. "Oh yeah, I bet uncle Rudy will know! He's always out hunting and–wait what did you say?" By the time he refocused on his dad, he noticed him pulling his sword free from its scabbard and he finally registered what he had said. After he killed it?!?!

Solaire gasped and scrambled to his paws to jump up to stand between his dad and the barely phased capybara, hopping up to shove his dad away with a quick push to the middle of his chest. "Dad! You can't kill him!" he exclaimed, obviously offended and mortified by the very idea that his dad would murder such a cool little guy. "He's just eating pumpkins and being cool! And and... And he's my friend!" Solaire stood resolute between the capybara and his father, looking up at him with a hard frown. Meanwhile the large rodent simply stared at the two of them for a long moment before slowly turning his head to go back to his meal.

"Solaire Carpathius"

Artorias was halfway toward the capybara when Solaire snapped into action and jumped in between them, dramatic and heroic, to stop him from killing the invasive prey animal. Although Artorias easily outweighed his young son and wasn’t stopped by the pup’s paws pressing on his chest, that contact immediately stopped the dire wolf dead in his tracks. He looked at Solaire with confusion, sword in mouth, as if silently asking what he was doing. Solaire tried to defend the capybara, claiming it wasn’t hurting anyone and was just eating pumpkins and was his new friend. Art looked at his son like he had two heads for a second, then looked up to make eye contact with the apathetic capy as it continued to devour their crops. Was Solaire being serious right now? He knew his boy had a soft spot and a good heart, but this was ludicrous!

"Is this a joke, Solaire? It’s a giant rat. It’s a vermin. It’s not a pet or a friend. It needs to be exterminated," Artorias remarked, rebuking his son’s claims. He leered up at the ravenous rodent again as the capybara cracked into another one of his late mother’s pumpkins. But when the Aegis gave a low warning growl at the intruder and looked down at his child again, he was stricken by the intensity of Solaire’s disapproving frown. Sol was shockingly passionate about protecting this creature. Why, Artorias couldn’t understand. But he knew just from the look in his son’s eyes that if he struck down the capybara, he would damage his relationship with his son.

That moment of pause softened Artorias just enough to make his resolve waver, giving pause as he looked back and forth between the capybara and the wolf pup standing between him and it. After some moments, Art’s shoulders slumped and he breathed a resigned sigh. "…Do you really want to keep it that badly, Sol?"

"Artorias" | "Carpathian"

His dad did stop when he reached out to him to protect the pumpkin eating rodent though he could tell pretty easily that his dad didn't really want to. That was cemented as truth as he was questioned over his statements about the capybara, his dad declaring it was a rat, a vermin, something that needed to be exterminated. His shoulders slumped a bit, deflated as his ears folded back and he glanced back at the big rodent that was perfectly content to keep eating pumpkins while the two wolves bickered over whether or not it had to die. The capybara finally noticed him looking at him and he turned his big, blocky head to look at him. Even though its stare was still pretty apathetic, it seemed to take notice of what was going on for the first time and acknowledged him. The capybara stepped away from the pumpkin it had been eating and moved closer to him, standing slightly behind him as if to show that he understood he was being protected by him right now.

How could something that was smart enough to pick up on clues like that without knowing what they were saying need to be exterminated?! He loved his dad and respected him more than pretty much anyone else–except maybe his mom–but he just couldn't let him kill this little guy. Chase him out of the garden maybe, but kill him?! When he looked back up at his dad with huge, sad, pleading turquoise eyes he could see his dad contemplating them for a moment and finally he saw his shoulders slump a bit with a sigh. When he asked if he really wanted to keep it that badly, Sol didn't hesitate to nod enthusiastically to confirm that he did. He could have been content with his dad saying he just had to get out of the garden, but if he got to keep his new buddy around then he could make sure nothing else hurt him either! "Yeah! I wanna keep him! I'll teach him not to eat all the pumpkins and I'll grow another whole pumpkin patch just for him! I promise!" he replied confidently, his chest puffing out with assuredness as he convinced his dad to let his new friend stay with him.

"Solaire Carpathius"

As if on cue, the capybara stopped destroying the pumpkin patch and instead approached the two wolves, seemingly ignorant of the danger its life was imminently in. Artorias leered down at the giant rodent as it moved to sit beside Solaire and as soon as it did, Art knew that there was no talking his son out of keeping it. Those big sad puppy-dog eyes that were mirror images of his beloved wife’s melted his heart and shattered his resolve. Dammit, Artorias was such a sap for his family… Solaire answered his query by promising to teach the capybara not to eat all the pumpkins (a promise Artorias didn’t think he’d be able to keep) and to grow a new patch just to feed his new companion (a promise Artorias did actually believe). And with that, he supposed there was no more to say on the matter.

Artorias took in a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh, sliding his sword back into its scabbard. Piercing fire opal eyes stared down at the apathetic capy before turning back to his child. "Then from this moment on, it’s your responsibility, Solaire. You take care of it, you train it. And if it eats any of the garden plants or the herbs in the greenhouse, you’ll be taking the punishment. Understood?" Artorias fixed Solaire with a stern gaze, making sure his son was on the same page as him and understood the rules and conditions. If the capybara became a problem for the pack, it would be gone that same day.

"Artorias" | "Carpathian"

It wasn't until his dad put his sword back in his scabbard that he actually believed that he had convinced his dad to at least not kill his pumpkin eating friend. Once he did that Solaire relaxed a bit, his sad puppy eyes becoming a bit more hopeful. Then, once his dad began giving him the ground rules for how he had to take care of it and how he'd get the punishment if his new friend ate any plants he wasn't supposed to, Solaire realized he had actually won and his dad was letting him keep his new friend around for good. His face immediately lit up and he gasped with excitement, glancing down at the capybara that had sat next to him with a huge grin. The rodent seemed just about as enthusiastic as he had been for anything else through this whole interaction, but that didn't phase Solaire in the slightest. If anything it just made him that much more adorable.

"I'll take really good care of him, dad! I promise!" he swore as he looked back up at his dad with a grin. He was already starting to think of where he could start his friend's own pumpkin patch and how he could train him to carry his herbs for him when they went scavenging and how he needed to get a smaller bed for him to sleep in for his room! He had grown up seeing his parents with their foxes and ravens and how they were friends with them so now he had a friend of his own! Oh, but if they were going to be friends then that meant he needed a name... Solaire looked down at the capybara with a thoughtful hum, tipping his head slightly as he considered what could be a good name for his new buddy. All he really knew about him so far is that he had a pretty neutral stare at pretty much everything and he really liked pumpkins. Stare didn't seem like a good name and neither did Pumpkin, but maybe... "Dad, how do you say 'pumpkin' in Carpathian?"

"Solaire Carpathius"

The joy and excitement that lit up in his son's face was more than enough to kill whatever begrudging Artorias was still holding onto about allowing the capybara to stay. He just couldn't stay mad or frustrated when he saw how happy Solaire was to have his new companion. With another defeated sigh, Artorias could only put on a smile and roll his eyes. Gods, he was such a softie for his children... Solaire readily agreed to the ground rules for his new pet and, with all said and done, there was nothing more for Art to do here.

But as he turned to leave Sol to play with his capybara, the young Carpathian asked his sire a strange question that paused him in his tracks. Art glanced back at Solaire with a furrowed brow and questioning look. What was the Carpathian word for "pumpkin"? Without asking for clarification, Artorias responded, "Pumpkin in Carpathian is 'dovleac'. Why do you ask?" Why did his son need to know how to say pumpkin in their mother tongue?

"Artorias" | "Carpathian"

He got his answer quickly enough, his dad telling him that the word he was looking for was dovleac. He gasped with excitement and grinned, his tail wagging eagerly at the new Carpathian word. "That's perfect!" he exclaimed before turning back to his new friend with a resolute nod. "Your name is Dovleac now, okay? We're going to be really good friends, Dovleac, just you wait!" Looking back to his father with a big smile and bounding over to him to nuzzle his shoulder, he said, "Thanks, dad!" With that he went back to Dovleac to collect his new companion, nudging the apathetic capybara toward the castle. "Come on, Dovleac! I'll show you where my room is and make a bed for you! Then we can start gathering pumpkin seeds for your garden!" He was going to have a lot of work ahead of him to get this pumpkin patch going for his friend, but it'd be worth it. As he started trotting off toward the castle the capybara gave Art a long, disinterested look before turning to follow after Solaire at a quick lope to catch up with him.

"Solaire Carpathius"